By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

Village of Wappingers Falls Watershed Revitalization Project

This project involved a comprehensive study of point and nonpoint source pollution into the Wappinger Creek Watershed. The plan analyzed the 38-mile Wappinger Creek from its headwaters to Wappinger Lake in an effort to identify key contributors to pollutant-loading, which was deteriorating water quality and reducing the lake’s capacity for flood storage.

A sampling plan that covered the entire watershed was developed. A quality assurance program was developed to standardize testing protocols. Sampling was coordinated with annual DEC sampling efforts to maximize coverage and minimize costs.

The project term covered three years, including sampling in different seasons, development of new policies, and implementation of remediation programs.

After identifying where the pollutants, phosphorous, and silt/sediment were entering the creek, KC assisted the Village with identifying pilot green infrastructure implementation projects for design and construction.

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Engineering Evaluation of a Treatment System for Village of Warwick Well #3 Project

This project entailed performing an engineering evaluation to determine the best option for providing an additional water source to the Village of Warwick. Options evaluated for the backup source included Well #3 or the development of another new well. Well #3 has an average yield capacity of 250 GPM and can yield up to 400,000 GPD. Well #3 was known to be GWUDI and needed either treatment or pumping to the microfiltration plant before use as a primary source.

Additional options included the development of alternate wells, construction of an entirely new treatment plant, and construction of a water main connecting the new well with the existing treatment plant. KC performed a preliminary investigation and presented a recommendation to the Village. KC also prepared a prelimary design concept, capital and life cycle cost analysis, and an engineer’s report for the preferred option.

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Wallkill Water System Interconnect Project

The Town of Wallkill is located in close proximity with two adjoining municipal water systems. During emergencies, the City of Middletown and the Village of Goshen share their water. KC, as the Town of Wallkill Engineer, located a suitable grant and successfully pursued the grant application that provided a 25% grant with zero interest loan for the construction of municipal water interconnections.

Upon receipt of the grant, KC worked closely with the Town in negotiations for an intermunicipal agreement between both the City and the Village, as well as assisted the Town with securing the required permits and approvals. All municipalities required the interconnections to function as full-flow connections with bi-directional meters and pressure-reducing valves. The interconnections also needed to allow the interconnection pits to be isolation points.

The connection with the Village of Goshen was configured to allow water to be sourced at one municipality’s well field and treated at the others’ treatment plants, which are located in close proximity to each other. Two connections were made with the City of Middletown to feed the two zones in the City and three zones in the Town of Wallkill due to its proximity to the Town’s booster pump station. KC designed metering vaults and site plans for various locations, as well as prepared contract documents and technical specifications for the project. The connections, once installed, will be able to provide service to three water districts from a combined total of 27 sources benefitting a combined population of over 50,000 people.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • 0 Comments

What, Why, How — Water Treatment Plants

Did you know that 99.7% of Earth’s water supply is not usable by humans? This unusable supply includes not only saltwater but fresh water supplies from lakes and streams that often contain waterborne germs such as Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Hepatitis A, and Giardia intestinalis. The water we drink, from taps and bottles and fountains, goes through an extensive treatment process to rid itself of these harmful pathogens.

A water treatment plant serves its local community by sourcing its water from the surface, from lakes, streams, reservoirs, or from the ground, where water pools after seeping in from rain or snowfall. The plant is then tasked with disinfecting and purifying this “raw,” or untreated, water. Below is a step-by-step look into how your water is treated:

  1. The first step of the purification process is coagulation and flocculation: in this step, a coagulant, such as aluminum sulphate or iron salt, is added to the water to neutralize the negative charge of any dirt, parasite, or bacteria that might be present. This neutralization enlarges the harmful particles in preparation for the following step.
  2. The second step is referred to as sedimentation, where the now enlarged dirt particles can more easily sink to the bottom of the water.
  3. The third step is filtration, where the water is run through sand, gravel, or charcoal to weed out the enlarged dirt particles.
  4. The fourth step is disinfection where a chemical such as chlorine or chloramine is added to the water to both kill any remaining parasites or bacteria and prevent the growth of new ones.
  5. Finally, the purified water is stored in a water tower and, with plenty of gravity and pumps, is delivered into your home.

Want to find out more about the quality of your drinking water? Visit this site to access an annual drinking water quality report from your local water supplier.

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Trout Brook Project

KC, on behalf of the Village of Woodbury and the WP3 Subdivision Project, designed modifications to the Trout Brook Water Supply and Treatment facility located on New York Route 32 in the Village of Woodbury.

The Trout Brook Water Treatment Plant is integrated into the Town of Woodbury’s Consolidated Water District, which serves the residential development known as WP3.

The water system was originally designed to provide only disinfection via chlorination. Subsequent laboratory testing results of the wells indicated that TW-02 and TW-04 were ground water sources under the direct influence of surface water (GWUDI).

KC designed a filtration and ultraviolet (UV) treatment system to treat the water produced at this facility.

The filtration system consists of a series of two municipal high-pressure filter housing units, each with an allowable flow rate of 500 GPM sized to handle the combined discharge rate of all three wells.

The first filter housing unit, a Harmsco Model No. MUNI-5-4FL-304 HP, utilized five nominally rated 5-micron filter cartridges, while a second Harmsco housing unit contained five 1-micron absolute filter cartridges.

After the filters, an Aquionics UV Technology InLine+D 450 treatment system was installed. The system consists of one UV unit capable of operating at a flow rate of 364 GPM, while providing a minimum 40 mJ/cm2 dosage with a minimum UVT of 94%.

The additional filtration and UV treatment will ensure safe drinking water for all Village residents.