Water and Wastewater Systems: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Everything You Ought to Know about your Water and Wastewater Systems, but were Afraid to Ask April 10, 2019

2. What is the Village District of Eastman (VDE) ? • Municipal Overlay District • Provides Potable Water and Wastewater services to portions of three towns • 1320 water customers • 535 wastewater customer • Functions in the same manner as a NH Town • Annual Meeting and three elected Commissioners • Water is funded through real estate tax (58%) and user fees (42%) • Wastewater is funded through user fees only (100%)

3. Who is the VDE ? • Three Commissioners: B. Parker, D. Wood, K. Karash • Treasurer: D. Wright, Deputy Treasurer: B. Samuels • Four employees: Josh Ruel Amy Lewis Tim Hicks Norm Ruel

4. Where is the VDE? Water Treatment Plant VDE Office Wastewater Treatment Plant VDE Maintenance Garage

5. The Potable Water System • Source of Water • Treatment • Water Quality Testing • Storage • Distribution • Funding/Budget • Issues and Concerns

7. Source: Where Do We Get Our Water ? • Rain & Snow • Infiltration • Groundwater • Bedrock • Sand & Gravel • Bog Brook watershed • Five wells: total permitted yield = 583.3 K gpd

9. Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6 Source 1A, 1B & 1C: Three smaller overburden wells that pull water from the sand and gravel aquifer 32 – 35 feet deep, high Fe and Mn Permitted total max yield: 216K gpd

10. Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6 Source 6: Single larger overburden well that pulls water from the sand & gravel aquifer 50 feet deep, high Fe and Mn Permitted total max yield: 244.8K gpd

11. Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6 Source 5: Single deep bedrock well that pulls water from the rock fissure aquifer 1,200 feet deep, low Fe and Mn Permitted total max yield: 122.5K gpd

12. Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6 The water from all of the wells is blended together at the Pump Control Building. VFDs set the pumping rates. Pump Control Building VFDs Range: 4th of July: 1.45 Mgal/wk January: 0.53 Mgal/wk

13. Treatment: How & What Parameters • Green Sand Filters • Iron Removal • Manganese Removal • Chlorination • pH Adjustment

14. How Does a Green Sand Filter Work ?

15. Water Quality Testing • Iron • Manganese • Chlorine • pH • Permanganate Residual • Alkalinity • Conductivity Continuous Monitoring or Daily Testing:

16. Bacteria at 4 locations in the distribution system Water Quality Testing Quarterly Testing: • Whatever NHDES requests • Recently: • Nitrate, Nitrite, Uranium Monthly Testing: Less Frequent Testing: • Lead and Copper – 3 years • Asbestos – starting in 2020

17. Water Quality Testing: The Data • Treated water leaving plant or at remote points: • Parameter WQ Criteria Data Range • Iron 0.3 mg/l 0.00 – 0.10 mg/l • Manganese 0.05 mg/l 0.003 – 0.005 mg/l • Chlorine > 0.2 mg/l 0.9 at plant • 0.5 at Anderson Pond • Bacteria Absent Absent - Absent

18. What Comes Next ? Do you know what this is and where it is located?

19. Storage Tank Capacity • Two concrete tanks: Snow Hill (200 Kgal) & Hilltop (180Kgal) • Water surface elevation in tanks sets pressure in system

20. Two Booster Pump Stations Snow Hill Pump Station Link Lane Pump Station

21. VDE’s Water Distribution System • Approx. 45 miles of water main, which is highly variable • Diameters vary from 8 inches to 2 inches • Materials include plastic, cast iron, and asbestos-cement • Some is very brittle (Longwood, Fernwood, Hummingbird) • Flanges and saddles were attached using iron bolts • Low number of gate valves expands out of service areas • Two elevated zones that require booster pressure pumps • Many copper house service lines have developed leaks • Rocks in the trench back fill cause numerous problems

22. Anderson Pond Pumped Pressure Zone Snow Hill Pumped Pressure Zone

23. VDE’s Water Distribution System Shut off valve for house Gate valve in road

24. Time for a Quiz What are these pictures illustrating ?

25. Funding/Budget • Total 2019 Budget = $989K • Operations = $569 K • Debt Service = $219 K • Reserve Trust Funds = $201 K • Real Estate Taxes = $576 K • User Fees = $365 K • 36.5 Mgal x $0.01/gal • Other = $48 K $ $

26. “Wasted Water” Issues and Concerns • Lost to leaks • 2016 = 10.4 Mgal/year • 2017 = 13.2 Mgal/year • 2018 = 13.4 Mgal/year • It costs $$ to pump and treat every gallon of water, but we get Zero revenue from water lost through leaks

27. Issues and Concerns • Rusted iron bolts and saddles • Major leak at Niblick lane was rusted flange bolts • Recent leak on Bunker was disintegrated saddle • Six saddle failures in 3 years • The entire system used iron bolts and fittings • Now we use stainless steel • We can not replace all 1300+ saddles and flanges • Thus there will be more leaks

28. Issues and Concerns • Age and condition of house service lines • 26 leaks in 3 years • Small leaks add up • ¼ Inch hole = 13K gpd • Boulders and plastic pipe

29. Issues and Concerns • Brittle plastic pipe • Longwood • Fernwood • Hummingbird • Where else ?

30. Issues and Concerns • Variations in incoming water quality • Why did iron, manganese, and organics increase in Source 1 last July ? • Source # 6 reduced yield • All gravel pack wells accumulate screen precipitate • How any more times can we surge #6 and restore “normal” yields ?

31. Issues and Concerns • Filter back flow flushing has an impact on distribution system • We are considering possibility of changing back flow procedures to not totally depend on storage tanks, in order to reduce stirring up of sediment and reducing water hammer

32. Time to Change Gears Next Up is Wastewater !!!! Please do not leave, just because you have your own septic system Septic systems will be discussed at the end

33. The Wastewater System • Collection • Treatment • Storage • Disposal • Funding/Budget • Issues and Concerns

35. Wastewater: Collection 7.88 Miles of gravity sewer 1.75 Miles of Force Main Serves all condos and homes that can reach sewer by gravity

36. What is a Gravity Sewer ? • The force of gravity does the work • No pumping, no electricity required • 8-inch diameter buried pipes between manholes • Works where natural slope is available Manhole cover

37. What is a Force Main Sewer ? • Used where gravity does not the work • Pumping up and over a high point, electricity required • 4-inch diameter pressurized pipes West Cove A Pump Station

38. Wastewater: Treatment • Primary Treatment = Remove Solids • Secondary Treatment = Reduce BOD • (Biological Oxygen Demand) • Tertiary Treatment = Reduce Nutrient Concentrations • Disinfection = Destroy Pathogens

39. Wastewater: Treatment • What do we have at Eastman ? • Combined primary and secondary • Extended aeration lagoons • Disinfection after Holding Ponds and prior to reuse for irrigation

40. Wastewater: Storage • What do the ponds at John’s Glen do ? • Store treated water until it can be used for irrigation • Additional treatment • Partial disposal via seepage • Chlorination

41. Wastewater: Disposal • Beneficial Reuse is a sustainable strategy: • Chlorine concentration is the key factor for success • Pipe capacity limits volume • Permit compliance samples are collected at 14th Fairway Pond

42. Wastewater: Disposal • What about the “requirement” for a large leaching field in the upper portion of John’s Glen ? • Designed and approved • Currently deferred, as long as we meet discharge permit compliance criteria • Staff changes at NHDES ??? • Discharge permit criteria may change

43. Wastewater: Funding/Budget • Completely funded from users fees, paid by 535 customers. Flat fee $672.24 per year, plus $0.102 per 100 g of water used. • No real estate tax money. • Separate set of accounts. • Total annual 2019 budget = $ 400K. • $ 167K for operations. • $ 45 K for debt service. • $ 188K for reserve funds. $ $

44. Wastewater: Issues and Concerns • What is flushed down the toilet or drain !!!!!!! • NO: diapers, sanitary napkins, rags, cooking grease • YES: human toilet wastes, washing machine discharge, dishwasher discharge, food disposal discharge • Age of key components in system • 40 years of minimal maintenance • Uncertainty regarding future discharge permit compliance

45. Wastewater: Real Progress • Completed: • Upgrades at West Cove A & B Pump Stations • New flow measuring system at Headworks Building, and flow splitter • Duplex smaller pumps at Effluent Pump Station • Five miles of TV inspections and sewer line cleaning • Upcoming in the next few years: • Baffles in treatment lagoons • New aeration diffusers and blowers

46. Septic Systems • What treatment does a septic system provide? • Solids removal - if tank is pumped to maintain volume • Destruction of pathogens – if there is an aerated zone below the leaching field • Your septic tank followed by leaching field • Will the leaching field last forever ? NO !!!! • Why do they fail – solids accumulate in leaching field & block pore spaces - need to limit solids sent to tank • What is risk to lake ? - Nutrients primarily phosphorus, not removed in tank or leach field • Recommendation - Pump every two years

47. The End • Any final questions on any subject ??? • Thank you for attending, and hopefully you now know more about the water and wastewater systems we depend on than you did when you arrived tonight. • Please come to our Annual Meeting which is held in late March or early April of each year. We vote our budget, elect our officials, and provide and annual update on our progress and problems. • Please attend our Open House on Saturday July 6th. See the inside of our buildings and enjoy free hotdogs !!!