Jorgensen Associates, P.C. Water System Report

                                                      EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Highland Meadows Homeowners Association will soon be assuming ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the central culinary and fire water systems. The HOA has concerns about how the system currently operates. The subdivision has been approved for 29 single family lots. Currently, only 5 homes have been constructed in the Highland Meadows PUD. Current homeowners have encountered issues with the water system that have caused concern about how the system will operate at build-out.

Jorgensen Associates, P.C. (JA) was contracted by the Highland Meadows HOA to evaluate the central water system design and its current operating status. JA reviewed the Highland Meadows original water system design and as constructed documents and performed various field tests on the current system to determine regulation compliance and maximum potential capacity.

Based on the information JA gathered and analyzed, it has been concluded that the current central water system is functioning well below its potential. Reconfiguration and minor improvements should allow the system to function much more efficiently. At build-out, the existing culinary well configuration should be able to accommodate the peak demand of all 29 proposed home sites, as long as the central water system is not being used for landscaping irrigation. However, the system was originally designed to provide irrigation water and the CC&R documents require homeowners to irrigate a certain portion of their lots. The system was apparently designed to operate with the culinary well supplying water for domestic demands and the fire well only being utilized in the event of a fire or other unusual situation. This operating condition can temporarily be achieved by implementing the recommended system reconfigurations and improvements. When additional homes are built in the subdivision, additional capacity may be needed to provide for the demand of all 29 homes. In addition to the physical analysis, research also indicates that the current water right only allows for 26 homes instead of the platted 29. This issue will need to be addressed as the PUD approaches 100% build-out.

As a result of the investigation performed by JA, several actions are being suggested. Action items are discussed in detail in the Recommendations section of this report. Actions include adjusting pump controls, replacing check valves, bringing the fire well head into compliance, obtaining a water right to cover the remainder of the subdivision not included in the current water right, installing power cut off devices, installing splash pads, and possibly drilling an additional well.
 

                                                          INTRODUCTION
in May of 2008, Brannon Bleggi of Highland Meadows Homeowners Association contacted Jorgensen Associates, P.C. (JA) to evaluate their residential subdivision’s existing water suppiy system and recommend improvements. Highland Meadows PUD is located north of the City of Driggs at approximately 400 North and 200 West in Teton County, Idaho. The Highland Meadows Homeowners Association (HOA) will eventually take over ownership and responsibility of the small water system, which is presently owned by the developer. The water system will ultimately serve 29 residential lots, mostly 1.0 acre in size. Currently there are only 5 homes connected to the system, with a 6th home under construction. The water system was completed in October of 2006. The system was designed with two wells, one for domestic use and another for fire protection. The HOA has expressed concern about the frequency with which the fire well has been running and has questioned the capacity of the culinary well.
The following report is the result of the best available information from various sources, some of which could not be completely verified at the time of this report. Unfortunately, the written records for this water system seem to be both incomplete and imprecise. The HOA did a thorough job in locating and providing as much information as possible.
JA inspected the water system and conducted extensive testing in the summer of 2008. As built water system plans and specifications prepared by A-W Engineering were obtained from Idaho DEQ and reviewed. Well, pump, and distribution system data was collected and reviewed. Several problems were identified, some more easily remedied than others. The methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations of the system testing and analysis are discussed in the sections that follow.
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                                                                    METHODS
JA performed the following research and testing to investigate the Highland Meadows central water system:

Approved well plans, containing the original well designs and specifications, were obtained from the Idaho DEQ. Design calculations for water system usage that were originally submitted to the DEQ with the well plans were also obtained. The project specifications were collected from various sources. The well plans were prepared by Arnold Woolstenhulme of AW Engineering on January 9, 2003. The well plans were used to compare the installed system to the designed system. A new estimate of water demand based on the land use and number of lots was calculated by JA. The new estimate of water usage was then compared to the original estimate prepared by AW at the time the system was designed. The well plans, design calculations, and project specifications are located in Appendix A of this report.

• The as built plans for the water system and the wells were collected. The as built plans were prepared by Arnold Woolstenhulme of AW Engineering on October 24, 2006, and revised on October 26, 2006. The as built plans were submitted to the DEQ with a letter, photos of the well houses, and pump curves. The as built plans were reviewed to determine general information about the water system. The as built plans and accompanying documents are located in Appendix B of this report.

• The well drilling logs were located on the website of the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR). The well drilling was completed on April 28, 2005. The drilling logs were reviewed to verify the depths of the wells, the static water level at the time of installation, and the soils encountered. The drilling logs are located in Appendix C of this report.

• The pump testing results were obtained from the Idaho DEQ. The pump testing was performed by Denning Well Drilling of Ucon, Idaho, in October of 2005. The results were submitted to the DEQ on October 4, 2006. The pump testing results were reviewed to compare the current system flows to the flows at the time of installation. The pump testing results are included in Appendix C of this report.

• A copy of the Highland Meadows water right was downloaded from the IDWR website. Highland Meadows applied for the water right on June 18, 2002. The water right was awarded on September 12, 2002. The water right is No. 22-13249 and the priority date is June 18, 2002. The water right was reviewed to ensure that Highland Meadows is complying with their permitted use. A copy of the water right, the permit application, and the related letters are located in Appendix D of this report.

• Data shox ing the monthly energy use of each well from April 2007, through June 2008 was provided by Fred Johnson of the Highland Meadows HOA. The data was reviewed to further understand the relationship between the fire well and the culinary
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well. The energy use data also provides an indication of the varying demands that are placed on the system. A graph of the data is shown in Figure 1, in the Results section of this report.

• Water meter readings were collected from the log books in each of the well houses. In addition, JA recorded a reading each time a site visit was made. The data from the water meter logs was reviewed to further understand the water system and the demands being placed on it. Table 1 shows the data from the water meter logs.

• Fire flow testing results were obtained from the Teton County Fire Protection District. The fire department has performed two fire flow tests at Highland Meadows, one when the system was first installed and another on September 8, 2008. The fire department’s flow testing results were reviewed and compared to similar testing performed by JA. The results of the fire department’s most recent fire flow test are located in Appendix E of this report.

• Various flow tests were performed on the water system. On July 15, 2008, the available flow from three different fire hydrants was tested. On July 17, 2008, the available flow from a single hydrant was tested by recording the flow at a range of pressures. To test the hydrants, a pitot gauge was used to measure the flow of the open fire hydrant and a pressure gauge was used to measure the residual pressure in an adjacent hydrant. The flows from the fire well and the culinary well were tested separately on August 11, 2008. To isolate a well for individual testing the breaker in the other well house was used to disable the well and prevent it from interfering with the test. With only one well operating the flows were too small to accurately test with a pitot gauge. First the flow was throttled until the desired residual system pressure was reached. Then the flow was measured by timing the water meter rotations with a stopwatch. This method is significantly more accurate than estimating a reading between gradation marks on the low end of a pitot gauge. Inspections of the well heads, pump houses, hydrants, and other above-ground components of the water system were also made.
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                                                                        RESULTS
JA conducted various research and testing to evaluate Highland Meadows central water supply system. First existing documentation about the system design and installation was reviewed. Then applicable regulations were researched and calculations were made to determine the required capacity of the system. Finally testing and inspections were conducted to determine the current operating parameters of the water system. The results of JA’s research, calculations, testing, and inspections are discussed below.

Existing Documentation
The approved plans for the Highland Meadows PUD that were sourced from the DEQ specify two pumps, one for domestic use and one for both fire and domestic use. The water system is eventually going to be classified as a Public Water System (PWS) so it must meet the PWS standards for construction. Both wells are shown connected to the culinary water distribution system, and both wells are shown designed to culinary standards. Both wells are shown with sanitary well seals, both well details show the well casing extending 18” above the ground surface, and both pumps are shown with submersible check valves. It is standard engineering practice to show grading around well heads to encourage surface drainage away from wells, however, neither well detail shows grading away from the wells. The domestic well was designed to produce l00gpm with 50psi of pressure with an estimated water depth of 8Oft; the fire well was designed to produce 600gpm at 25psi of pressure with an estimated water depth of 9Oft. The fire well was designed to turn on at 35psi and off at 50psi. The domestic well was designed to turn on at 5Opsi and off at 65psi. The approved plans also show water service tap locations. However, 17 of the lots in the subdivision do not have a service tap shown on the plans, and one lot is shown with two service taps.

There are three pages of estimated water system use that were obtained from the DEQ. One page says that the system is designed for 26 residences and 27 irrigation spigots at 4gpm each. Another page says that the system is designed for 29 residences and 29 irrigation spigots at 4gpm each. Interestingly, although the numbers of residences and irrigation spigots change, both sheets show the same estimate for normal use and peak use. The estimates are 46gpm for normal residential use and 92gpm for peak residential use. The estimates for irrigation use are 54gpm for normal and lo8gpm for peak. A total of 29 irrigation spigots using 4gpm each actually equals 1 l6gpm, so it appears that AW Engineering neglected to recalculate their design flows when the preliminary subdivision design changed from 26 to 29 lots.

The water system specifications for Highland Meadows include special provisions for the project and also reference the Idaho Standards for Public Works Construction (ISPWC) 2000 edition. The specifications also reference the DEQ regulations and the IDAPA
16.0 1.08, Idaho Rules For Public Drinking Water Systems, 2001 edition. Section 410-6.2 of the special specifications addresses test pumping of the wells: part D states: “Pump the well at 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 times the design flow rate. Pump at each flow rate until the level in the well stabilizes, and measure the water depth and flow rate.” In
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addition, the Idaho Rules for Public Water Systems has its own requirement for pump flow testing. Section 550.03.d.ii states: “A large capacity well, one that yields more than fifty (50) gallons per minute, shall be test pumped at a rate of one hundred twenty five percent (125%) of the desired yield of the well. The test period shall be a minimum of six (6) hours, and longer if necessary to stabilize the drawdown. If the well fails the test, the design must be re-evaluated and resubmitted to the Department.” The Idaho Rules for Public Water Systems provide requirements for well casings and seals. Section 550.03.j.i states: “Casings shall extend a minimum of twelve (12) inches above the finished ground surface.” Section 550.03.j.iii states: “A watertight seal shall be provided at the top of the well casing, and shall not allow water to enter the well.” The Idaho Rules for Public Water Systems also address the design capacity. IDAPA 16.01.08 Section 552.01.b.i states: “Any public water system designed to provide fire flows shall be designed to provide such flows in addition to maximum daily demand for all other uses combined.” The ISPWC provides specifications for water pipes and fittings, hydraulic valves, hydrants, water service lines and meters, and non-potable water line separation. The ISPWC does not provide specifications for wells or pumping systems. ISPWC Section 402.1 .6 requires that the contractor “provide operation and maintenance manuals with all valves”. Similarly, ISPWC Section 403.1.8 stipulates that the contractor “provide operation and maintenance manuals with all hydrants”. There were no requirements found in the project specifications for operations and maintenance manuals for the wells, pumps, drivers, or other well house components. It is considered standard engineering practice to provide a comprehensive operation and maintenance manual for a system such as the Highland Meadows water system.

The as built plans prepared by AW Engineering show a few deviations from the approved design plans. On the approved plans, both well details show the electrical wires for the pump entering the well casing above ground. On the as built plans, the pump wires are shown punching through the casing below grade, a change that no longer conforms with PWS standards or standard engineering practice for culinary wells. Both wells are still shown with a sanitary well seal on the as built plans. On the as built plans, the pump for the culinary well changed from a 10HP Grundeles Submersible Pump to a 10HP Berkley Submersible Pump. Similarly, the pump for the fire well was changed from a 3OHP Single Phase Franklin Motor Crown Submersible Pump to a 30HP Gould VF Drive Submersible Pump. Both pumps are still shown on the as built plans with a submersible check valve. The as built plans do show the grout seal extending 60’ below grade instead of 50’.

The drilling logs and pump testing results provide valuable information about the wells themselves. The drilling log for the culinary well indicates that the depth to static water was 35’ at the time of installation and that the well was drilled to 250’. The drilling log for the fire well indicates that the depth to static water was 35’ at the time of installation and that the well was drilled to 140’. The pump test for the culinary well states that the pump was set at a depth of 224’ and that the static water level was still 35’. The pump was able to produce l25gpm for 10 minutes, by which time the drawdown had reached 120’. The pump then managed to produce 110gpm for the next 35 minutes, by which time the drawdown had reached 211’. The pump then produced l05gpm for 5 minutes,
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the drawdown dropped to 221’. and the pump started pumping air. The flow was then dropped to lOOgpm. and according to the submitted test results, the drawdown stabilized at 221’ and the pump continued to pump at lOOgpm for the next 7 hours. It is a cause of concern that the pump itself is set at a depth of 224’ and if the pump were to run at lOOgpm the drawdown level would reach 221’, leaving only 3’ of water covering the pump. The pump test for the fire well states that twice the well test was abandoned and the well was redrilled before reattempting the test. It appears that the drilling log for the fire well only includes data from the first time the well was drilled. Denning Well Drilling did not provide drilling logs for the two additional times the well was drilled, and did not return any of iA’s phone calls requesting more information. None of the documents submitted to the DEQ indicate the final depth of the fire well or the depth at which the fire well pump was set. The flow test indicates that the pump pumps air between 39Ogpm and 400gpm with a drawdown of 142’.

The water right permit awarded to Highland Meadows includes nine Conditions of Approval. Condition 5 reads: “Domestic use is for 26 homes.” There are currently 5 completed homes in Highland Meadows, so the subdivision is currently complying with the conditions of the water right. However, Highland Meadows has a total of 29 residential lots, each of which could potentially have a home built on it. Condition 6 of the water right reads: “The irrigation occurring under this domestic use shall not exceed 1/2 acre within each platted subdivision lot upon which a home has been constructed. This right does not provide for irrigation of common areas or for irrigation of lots upon which homes have not been constructed.” There is currently an irrigation spigot located in the cul-de-sac at the end of Highland Drive. The spigot is currently being used to irrigate the common area in the interior of the cul-de-sac; this is not a permitted use of the water right held by Highland Meadows. The Highland Meadows CC&R documents stipulate a minimum area to be landscaped and irrigated around each home; however, the CC&R documents do not address the maximum irrigated area of 1/2 acre per lot stipulated by the water right.

The data showing monthly energy use of each well provides a comparison of the frequency with which each well has been running since April 2007. A graph of the data is shown in Figure 1.

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(Figure 1 is not available online)

It seems reasonable that the culinary well consumes more energy during the summer months when irrigation is taking place than during the winter months. It is not clear, however, why the fire well consumed so much energy during the winter months, or why the total energy use was so high during November, December, and January. JA is not aware of any anomalies such as fire flow testing, an actual fire, or a broken pipe that would explain the exceptionally high energy use by the fire well.
Readings from the water meters in the well houses have been taken and recorded in log
books. The first reading recorded by Highland Meadows was on November 13, 2007.
The recorded readings and a calculated change from the previous reading are shown in
Table 1 below.

(Table 1 is not available online)

It is interesting to note that from November 13 to January 26, the culinary well meter did not record any water use. During that same period, a significant amount of energy was

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used by the culinary well house. There are heaters located in the well house that could account for the energy consumption since the pump was not running during that time. It is also interesting that the fire well water meter ran backwards for three separate periods.
The fire flow testing completed by the fire department provides an indication of the capacity of the water system. When the system was completed the fire department tested the fire flow and reported a flow of 800gpm; they did not test a residual system pressure at that time. On September 8, 2008, the fire department repeated the fire flow test. On September 8, the fire department reported a 628gpm hydrant flow with 2psi residual pressure. The fire department then entered the single flow test result into a spreadsheet, provided by the Idaho Surveying and Rating Bureau, which approximates a system curve and estimates the corresponding flows for various residual system pressures. The spreadsheet estimates that at 20psi residual pressure the flow would be 51 6gpm. The spreadsheet showing the results from the fire department’s hydrant flow test is located in Appendix E.

Calculations
JA prepared an estimate of Highland Meadow’s water system demand at complete build- out to compare to the estimate calculated by AW Engineering and to the observed system capacity. JA also calculated the current demand with 5 homes to compare to the observed culinary well capacity. Table 2 shows the results of JA’s calculations. The complete calculations are included in Appendix F of this report.

(Table 2 is not available online)

To calculate the peak hour demands, a peaking factor of two was used for culinary flows and a peaking factor of three was used for irrigation flows. This assumes that irrigation is accomplished over an 8 hour period in a given day. The total peak hour demand, combining the culinary flow with the irrigation flow, is shown in the final column of Table 2.

Testing and Inspections
Of all the data collected, on-site testing and inspections provide the most up-to-date and the least ambiguous information. On July 15, 2008, three hydrant flow tests were performed. The first hydrant produced 53Ogpm with a residual pressure of l3psi. The second hydrant produced 53Ogpm with a residual pressure of 9psi, and the third hydrant
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produced 557gpm with a residual pressure of l3psi. These results are organized into Table 3.

(Table 3 is not available online)

On July 17, 2008, additional flow testing was carried out by varying the flow from a hydrant and measuring a range of flows with their corresponding residual pressure. The results of the flow testing performed on July 17th1 are shown in Table 4.
(Table 4 is not available online)

On August 11, 2008, isolated flow tests were performed for each well. The isolated flow from the fire well was tested at 20psi, the minimum allowable residual pressure during a fire event. The fire well produced 3SOgpm. The isolated flow from the culinary well was tested at S5psi, an acceptable, but low, operating pressure for the domestic water system. The culinary well produced 65gpm at S5psi.
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The system was thoroughly inspected during the summer of 2008. It is impractical to discuss every obser ation made. Consequently, only the observations indicating a cause for concern are listed below.

o Fire well cap does not provide a sanitary, watertight seal.

o Fire well water meter was observed running backwards on several different occasions. Fire well water meter was observed running forwards whenever the fire well was actually on and pumping. Two check valves located in the well house should prevent water from flowing backwards through the water meter.

o Fire well casing does not extend 18” above the ground surface.

o Ground surface around the fire well is not graded to provide drainage away from the well head.

o No operation and maintenance manual located in either well house. User’s manual, published by the manufacturer, for the culinary well driver is located in the culinary well house.

o Fire well is turning on at 50psi and off at 54psi.

o Culinary well is turning on at 60psi and off at 72psi.

o Each well house has one 120 gallon hydropneumatic tank between the well and the distribution system. This provides a gross volume of only 240 gallons.

o Concrete splash pan shown outside the fire well house under the wasting pipe on both the approved plans and the as built plans was never installed.

o Control wires for the fire well punch through the well casing below ground level.
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                                                              CONCLUSIONS

After carefully analvzin the Highland Meadows central water system several conclusions have been reached regarding the components and capacity of the existing water system.

Due to the fact that the fire well water meter has been running backwards at times, but does not appear to be malfunctioning, it has been concluded that the check valves in the fire well house are malfunctioning. It is possible that grit or debris from the fire well has washed into the valves or that a seal has deteriorated. In addition, the check valve installed on the drop pipe may also be malfunctioning. This means that the culinary well is currently pumping water down into the fire well in addition to responding to the domestic demands placed on it. This additional and unnecessary demand on the culinary well is currently consuming excess energy, reducing the ability of the culinary well to meet the domestic demand, ultimately shortening the life of the culinary well, and calling for unnecessary use of the larger fire well, again using more energy.

According to calculations prepared by JA, the current peak hour demand in Highland Meadows is 42gpm. This calculation assumes that each of the five completed homes in Highland Meadows has 5 residents and irrigates 1/2 acre of landscaped area at a rate of 1.5 inches per week. The culinary well is currently capable of producing 65gpm at an operating pressure of 55psi. This means that the culinary well is capable of producing more flow than necessary to meet the current domestic demands placed on the system. In fact, the culinary well should be able to meet the domestic demands of seven homes each irrigating 1/2 acre. If each home only irrigates 1/4 acre of landscaped area, the culinary well will be able to meet the domestic demands of 12 homes without additional flow from the fire well. The complete calculations are included in Appendix F. The reason that the fire well has been running so frequently is not because the system demands are exceeding the capacity of the domestic well. The reason the fire well is turning on so often is because it is not configured correctly. The fire well was designed to turn on at 35psi and off at 5Opsi. It is currently turning on at 5Opsi and off at 54psi. Because the turn on pressure for the fire well is so close to the operating pressure of the culinary well, the fire well is turning on far more often than necessary. For optimum system operation, the fire well driver should be reprogrammed so that the fire well turns on at 35psi and off at 65psi. A user’s manual for the driver should have been provided by the installer. The manual is not currently present in the well house. A user’s manual will be necessary to re-program the driver.

When Highland Meadows reaches complete build-out, the domestic demand of 29 homes, with no irrigation, will be 68gpm during the peak hour. If well water is not used for irrigation, the current capacity of the culinary well is adequate to meet the domestic water demands. However, well water is being used for irrigation purposes, and is in fact required by the Highland Meadows CC&R documents. If each residence irrigates the maximum 1/2 acre allowed by the water right, the peak hour demand will be 244gpm at build-out. The culinary well is not currently able to meet this demand. The Teton
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County Fire Protection District requires that fire wells be capable of supplying a
minimum of 500 gpm for 2 hours with a residual pressure of 20 psi. The system did pass the fire departments flow test on September 8, 2008. The fire department recorded a flow of 628 gpm  at 20psi, and, using their approximation curve, estimated that the system would proide 516gpm at 20psi. Instead of using an approximation curve, JA tested the system by adjusting  the flow until the residual pressure in the system was 20psi and measuring the actual flow rate. The fire well is currently producing 35Ogpm at 20psi. The fire well and the culinarv well running together are able to produce 486gpm at 20 psi. In order to comply  with the rules for a public water system the system needs to be capable of providing flre flow in addition to the maximum daily demand of all other uses combined. This means that the fire well and the culinary well running together need to be able to produce 744gpn. without the system pressure dropping below 20psi.

The combined capacity of both wells on the approved well plans is over 700gpm at 2opsi, and would have met the system requirements. However the fire well pump that was installed does not have the same pumping capacity as the pump that was originally specified. In addition. the actual water level drawdowns are much larger than the drawdowns that were anticipated by the designers. The culinary well was expected to have a draw down of 80feet when pumping I00gpm. When the well was installed the actual drawdown. while pumping l00gpm, was found to be 22l feet. The culinary well was set at a depth of 224feet. It would not take a large variation in the aquifer’s water level for the culinary well to run dry. Similarly, the anticipated drawdown in the fire well was 90ft when pumping 600gpm. The actual drawdown, while pumping 400gpm, was l42feet. The drilling log indicates that the fire well was only drilled to a depth of l40feet. In either well, a drop in the water level of the aquifer or an increase in pumping could burn up the motor of the pump unless a device is installed to cut power to the pump if the drawdown approaches the pump intake. The large drawdowns that were encountered, the depths of the drawdowns in relation to the depths of the well pumps, and the decreased capacity of the installed fire well pump all contribute to the large difference between the system’s designed capacity and the current capacity.

The two existing 120 gallon hydropneumatic tanks provide a gross volume of only 240 gallons. The Idaho DEQ recommends a minimum gross volume of 4,250 gallons for a single speed pumping system with a pumping rate of 425gpm. Depending on the minimum pumping rate set by the variable speed control, actual storage requirements vary.

The water right held by Highland Meadows is for domestic use and fire protection of 26 homes. It appears that the original subdivision plans only had 26 residential lots, but at some point in the planning process the number of lots was increased to 29. In order to legally supply water to all 29 lots a new water rights permit needs to be obtained from the Idaho Department of Water Resources. The new permit will be for domestic use and fire protection of 3 homes and will have a different priority date than the existing water right.
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                                                       RECOMMENDATIONS
The following lmprovements  are listed in order of priority:

1. Adjust fire well turn on turn off pressures to optimize fire well operation. Adjust variable speed pumping controls to optimize system efficiency and operation.

2. Replace check valves in the fire well house to eliminate wasteful pumping.

3. Upgrade the fire welll head to comply with culinary standards.

4. Install a device on each well that will cut power to the pump in the event that the drawdown level approaches the pump intake to prevent pump burnout.

5. Compile a complete Operations and Maintenance Manual for the central water system.

6. Apply for a Water Rights Permit for the additional 3 lots that are not included in the current permit.

7. Install concrete splash pads under the drain pipe outlets outside the well houses.

8. After implementing all other recommendations, consider drilling an additional well if the original design capacity is still not met.
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