Municipal Water Supply Needs Assessment Part I: Northern Chautauqua County 2008
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MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY NEEDS ASSESSMENT PART I: NORTHERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY 2008 MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY NEEDS ASSESSMENT PART I: NORTHERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY August 1, 2008 CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DIVISION OF ENVIRONEMNTAL HEALTH SERVICES 7 NORTH ERIE STREET MAYVILLE, NY 14757 (716) 753‐4481 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction and Acknowledgments .……………………………………………………............ SECTION 1 Village of Brocton ……………………………………………………………………………………………. SECTION 2 City of Dunkirk …………………………………………………………………………………………………. SECTION 3 Village of Forestville ..…………………………………………………………………………………....... SECTION 4 Village of Fredonia …..………………………………………………………………………………………. SECTION 5 Town of Hanover …….………………………………………………………………………………………. SECTION 6 Town of Ripley Water District ………………………………………………………………….…...... SECTION 7 Village of Silver Creek …………………………………………………………………………………...... SECTION 8 Village of Westfield ….……………………………………………………………………………………… SECTION 9 Private Water Issues ..……………………………………………………………………………………… SECTION 10 List of Commonly Used Acronyms …..................................................................... SECTION 11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Municipal water systems in Chautauqua County were first developed in the mid‐to‐late 1800s. As the water infrastructure has aged, the number of public water supply emergencies has risen. Several recent emergencies prompted Chautauqua County Executive Gregory Edwards to direct the Chautauqua County Health Department to conduct a thorough evaluation and needs assessment of all of the municipal water supplies in the county. To complete this project, the county was divided into two sections, north and south. The north county municipal supplies are located in the Lake Erie watershed north of the Lake Erie escarpment. The top of the escarpment is the watershed divide that separates the Lake Erie watershed from the Allegheny ‐ Ohio ‐ Mississippi River watershed. This divide is a very significant geologic and topographic feature that influenced early settlement patterns, transportation and water supply. This report contains the information compiled for north county municipalities including the Village of Brocton, City of Dunkirk, Village of Forestville, Village of Fredonia, Town of Hanover, Town of Ripley Water District, Village of Silver Creek, and Village of Westfield. These systems serve a residential population of more than 42,371 people through 15,225 service connections and produce an average of 6.86 million gallons of water each day. Contained in this report are detailed assessments of the water supply sources, treatment plants, and storage and distribution systems. Where possible, the costs of needed improvements are included to demonstrate the financial impact associated with delivering safe, reliable drinking water to county residents. NORTH COUNTY NEEDS SUMMARY The needs identified during this project are significant. The total costs to address all of the municipal water supply needs in Northern Chautauqua County exceed fifty million dollars ($50 M +). They can be divided into source needs ($23.84‐$26.84 M +), treatment needs ($9.07 M +), storage needs ($6.25 M +), and distribution needs ($8.47 M +). What follows is a summary of individual municipal needs by type and municipality. i DRINKING WATER SOURCES NEEDS With the exception of Forestville, all of the municipalities in Northern Chautauqua County rely on surface water as their drinking water source. Forestville relies on springs and low yielding wells. No significant groundwater aquifers exist in the north part of the county to provide the large quantities of water required to meet municipal needs. In many parts of this north county/lake plain area, there is not even enough groundwater available to develop a private well for a home. Where groundwater is available, much of it is shallow, of poor quality, and susceptible to contamination. There are two major sources of surface water that serve the north county: upland reservoirs and Lake Erie. The upland reservoirs suffer from sedimentation and infilling. The geology of these watersheds and steep stream gradients create significant long‐term challenges for use as a water supply. Solutions to these problems should address both the causes (such as landslides and stream erosion) and the symptoms (reservoir turbidity and sedimentation). However, the cause could be ignored with greater reliance placed on maintenance and improved water treatment processes. Maintaining the dams of the upland reservoirs is a challenge to municipalities. The dams are between 50 and 110 years old and will require significant maintenance, upgrades or replacement in the future. In addition, NYSDEC dam safety requirements have become more stringent, increasing the costs of using upland reservoirs. One benefit of upland reservoirs is that little or no pumping is needed to treat and distribute the water to communities along the Lake eEri Plain. The treatment plants and distribution systems are fed by gravity. Village of Brocton The three reservoirs used by the village require considerable maintenance. The Risley Reservoir has lost 98% of its volume due to sedimentation and the dam is failing. The reservoir must be dredged and the dam removed. The Burr Reservoir has lost 28% of its volume and produces poor quality water. This dam requires evaluation by an engineer. The Slippery Rock Reservoir has lost 20% of its volume and has turbidity problems which require installation of sedimentation basins to catch the sediment before it reaches the reservoir. The streams that feed the reservoir also require stabilization. Total Cost: $6.0 M City of Dunkirk Lake Erie is a reliable source of good quality water for use as a water supply. The city’s intake structure requires that an HDPE grate be installed for controlling frazil ice and zebra mussels. Consideration should be given to adding a second intake for redundancy. Total Cost: $60,000 (grate only) ii Village of Forestville The sources utilized by the village do not produce enough water to meet the demand and the springs are prone to surface water contamination. The village must locate an alternative source of water as soon as possible. Total Cost: $2.4 to 5.4 M Village of Fredonia The village’s reservoir must be accurately surveyed to determine its actual capacity because of conflicting data discussed in the report. The results could significantly impact the village’s current drought emergency plan. The reservoir has lost 43% of its volume to sedimentation, and requires dredging. Installation of sedimentation basins is also recommended. The reservoir capacity has been significantly depleted due to drought 10 times over the past 50 years. Most recently, the reservoir was depleted by 60% in 2007, 78% in 1998 and 95% in 1991. Total Cost: $13.15 M + Town of Hanover The town purchases water from the Erie County Water Authority. Given that the Water Authority uses Lake Erie as its water source, no source needs were identified. Town of Ripley Water District The current capacity of Alford reservoir should be determined and compared to the original capacity to assess reservoir sedimentation and determine if dredging is necessary. The dam in Belson Creek and the associated intake structure that funnels water to the reservoir are in poor condition and need to be replaced. Total Cost: not determined Village of Silver Creek The village purchases water from the Erie County Water Authority. Given that the Water Authority uses Lake Erie as its water source, no source needs were identified. Village of Westfield The reservoir used by the village is small and must be supplemented with water from Chautauqua Creek. The reservoir is prone to sedimentation and infilling but lost capacity is unknown. In order to protect the reservoir from further sedimentation and increase its capacity, the village should dredge the mouths of the creeks where they enter the reservoir and install two sedimentation basins. In addition, maintenance is required on the dam spillway. Total Cost: $2.23 M + iii DRINKING WATER TREATMENT NEEDS All of the municipalities in Northern Chautauqua County rely on filtration plants to purify and treat surface water. They use either rapid sand, slow sand or activated carbon to filter the water and remove contaminants followed by chlorine disinfection. Forestville does not filter but does disinfect with chlorine. Village of Brocton In order to comply with state and federal standards, either a significant amount of capital improvements must be made at the existing water treatment plant to address the deficiencies or the plant must be replaced. Total Replacement Cost: $2.72 M City of Dunkirk In order to comply with state and federal standards, either a significant amount of capital improvements must be made at the existing water treatment plant to address the deficiencies or the plant must be replaced. If the existing plant is maintained, the building will require significant structural and HVAC upgrades. Total Cost: $6.35 M Village of Forestville Two serious public health concerns exist with regard to the village's water supply. Nine customers on Creek Road between the springs and the chlorine building receive untreated (not disinfected) water. Raw water from the springs contains E. coli bacteria which is a serious threat to the health of the residents. Once the village's water is chlorinated, enough contact time does not exist for the chlorine to properly treat the water before it reaches the first customer. This results in inadequate disinfection. Total