Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: City to move forward with more water

Monday, October 04, 2010

City to move forward with more water

Gesell well project engineering approved at council meeting

9/29/2010

By Kevin Dayhoff

Westminster MD city officials decided at last Monday’s mayor and common council meeting to move forward with developing additional water resources for the municipality’s public water system.

Upon the recommendation of staff and public works director Jeff Glass, the common council voted to approve an $89,398.00 proposal from ARRO Engineering to perform “permitting, engineering design, and bidding/construction services” to develop the “Gesell” property well, located just south of Westminster on land owned by Carroll County government.

The project has been in the works for several years and is a cooperative effort between the county and the city. According to Glass, “the city conducted successful exploratory drilling in 2008-2009,” of the area, in search for more water.

The Gesell well was identified in the city’s 2009 comprehensive plan, which was adopted a year ago, on September 29, 2009, and is in the current Westminster capital improvements plan.

According to the 2009 comprehensive plan, “the City is working with the County on this estimated $1.2 million (Gesell Well) project that will yield approximately 350,000 gpd (gallons per day) in new water supply to the City in 2012.”

The engineering phase for the Gesell well “is the next step for the design of (water) treatments facilities … which will provide additional water, crucial to extinguish the (current) MDE (Maryland Department of the Environment) consent order,” said Glass.

Since April 2007 the Westminster water system has been operating under a consent order with MDE to develop more water resources for the city and the outlying areas in the county it serves.

In a MDE press release on April 3, 2007, then-MDE deputy secretary Robert M. Summers, Ph.D. said, “The droughts of 1999 and 2002 highlighted the need to fully evaluate water system capacities, as many sources in Central Maryland, including Westminster’s, were unable to meet public water demand without seriously impacting the natural resources that also depend upon that water.”

At that time, the MDE consent order provided “the necessary framework to resolve the drought year deficit (and) require(d) a schedule for meeting both short and long term water supply needs…”

It also “establishe(d) a timeline for completing plans (water loss reduction and conservation plans) to better manage the existing system’s capacity; ensures that an interim contingency plan is in place to address drought conditions; modifies operating conditions of the City’s surface water withdrawal permit under drought conditions; and, grants a limited water quantity for planned development.”

According to the drought management section of the Westminster 2009 comprehensive plan, “During the summer of 2002, the State of Maryland experienced a severe drought that required the City to take extensive emergency measures to ensure adequate water was in the system to serve the entire service area.

“In response to the drought, The Mayor and Common Council adopted a ‘Drought Management Plan’ (in which) … the Mayor and Common Council made it a priority to find alternative sources of water. In addition, the City has developed an emergency water supply, utilizing water from Medford Quarry to supplement the Cranberry system during drought emergency conditions.”

“It is likely that the City will receive authorization from MDE to allocate the remaining 39,000 gpd from the Consent Agreement by late 2009/early 2010. The City has (water) allocation requests totaling 228,000 beyond the 139,000 gpd total from the Consent Agreement,” according to further information gathered from the 2009 Comprehensive Plan…

The Gesell well project is part of a multi-faceted approach to bring more water on line for the city’s water users. The 2009 comprehensive plan indicates, “While the Gesell Well will allow the City fulfill some of the backlogged requests in 2012, the completion of Big Pipe Creek Well Development project in 2015 will satisfy the drought of record deficit and move the City to a positive position.”

As far as the “Big Pipe Creek Well Development,” the comprehensive plan indicates, “the City is working with the County on this estimated $6.5 million project that will provide 500,000 in new groundwater to the City in 2015 from the Union Mills area…”

The city water system serves approximately 35,000 citizens, of which approximately 38 percent live outside of the city limits. To service the 9,200 water connections in the system, the city utilizes two separate water systems, the Cranberry system, and the Wakefield Valley system. The two systems are connected and can be operated together, but they are normally operated as separate systems.

Westminster’s water system is currently supplied by a blended source of groundwater and surface water. The major source of water is tributaries of the West Branch of the Patapsco River. That surface source is augmented by eleven wells throughout the community, which contribute 20 to 30 percent of the water supply. The 115 million gallon Raw Reservoir, built in 1957, holds the bulk of the reserve water.

Meanwhile, Glass said, “The City strategically monitors its water resources…” At the moment, under the city’s drought management plan and strategic monitoring, the water system is under a code “yellow” restriction.

“Effective September 13, 2010,” said Glass in a September 15 report, “due to the lack of precipitation during the last few months, the City has moved from Green in its Drought Management Plan to Yellow. This system, which was put into place in 2002 and amended in 2006 to monitor water resources, based on established water level triggers.

“As of today, the system has moved from stage one (Green) – conservation status – to stage two (Yellow) – voluntary restriction status. Yellow voluntary restriction status applies to reduction of outdoor water use. City recommendations are included in the Drought Management Plan.”

No word as to whether the recent rains will change the city’s drought status.

If you have questions regarding the Drought Management Plan, the Gesell well project or the city water system, please contact Jeff Glass, Director of Public Works at 410-848-9000.

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Photo: Westminster public works director Jeff Glass explains the engineering phase of the future construction of the Gesell well at the September 27, 2010 meeting of the Westminster MD mayor and common council. Photo by Kevin Dayhoff

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