Eatonville's Waterworks

      
      by Bob Walter
      July 1, 2003

     Here we take you on a virtual tour of Eatonville's Waterworks. Our guide is Mike Tiller, Water/Sewer Superintendent for the town. As we tour, from the intakes in the Mashell River and the wellheads nearby, to the wastewater treatment plant, we learn that handling Eatonville's water supply involves constant testing, and as Mike will tell you, "Everything is monitored on paper." At every turn, we saw the records being kept. As to solving Eatonville's impending water crisis, he adds, "The crux  is, increase the source, and address the GWI
 issue." 
    GWI refers to groundwater under the influence of surface water. Surface water is from the river, ground water is under the surface. The water drawn from Eatonville's three wells, located in close proximity to the river, are influenced by it. The area in a half-mile radius around the wellheads is designated as a critical aquifer recharge area (CARA), and because of the possible effects from activity such as construction, business and residential habits on groundwater working its way down through the permeable glacial gravel, strict regulations pertaining to CARAs must be followed.
    The growing town needs to locate an additional sources of water, and has already mounted an expensive, and lengthy, search for new groundwater, by having outside companies drill test wells in areas most likely to produce new sources, and conduct studies to predict the likelihood of finding them, but to no avail. "As with any major decision, we must first go through a process, to find the right direction to take," says Tiller.
    On this day, Mike's crew had to scramble to keep up with a spike in consumption by local residents. A needle gauge showed how a heavy draw on the water supply dramatically reduced the reservoir level during the morning hours, as people showered and flushed, watered and washed, some filling their new, portable swimming pools. Even the high school football field was being watered during the heat, in an attempt to save some patches of grass damaged by vandals. The chlorination system could not keep up, so 22 gallons of Clorox Bleach were purchased from Plaza Market, which the crew would then dilute, and mix with water in the "day tank,"  to keep production in pace with demand. Tiller later told us, "We ran 678,000 gallons Thursday. Normal use for the town in one day is around 280,000 gallons."
    Aspects of the existing waterworks - production capacity, filtration, pumping capability, storage - are gradually being upgraded whenever possible, so that both the well water and river water are guaranteed pure, according to established standards set by the state. But efforts must be made by every element of our town to conserve current use of the precious water, and another source must be found before our town can grow. (Photos by Bob Walter)

Human Beavers

     Eatonville Water employees Shaun Burgess and Gary Sokol pile river rocks to raise a small dam,  keeping the town's three river water intake manholes submerged by the river's low summer flow. This was just one of the measures taken this day, Thursday, June 26, 2003, as the Town of Eatonville struggles to meet the growing demand for water. Every fifteen minutes a large air compressor above the near shore sends a blast of air out through one of the manholes, hitting each drain in alternating sequence, and blowing away any leaves or debris that may accumulate on the riverbed drains. During the last town council meeting Mike Tiller said the manholes are seriously plugged and are getting worse.

A River Runs Through It

     Diverted Mashell River water flows into a tank from which it is distributed into four, 1,300 square foot sand filters. Here, beside this tank, sits a large motor - one of a system-wide slew of  fail-safe installations. In the event of, say, a huge storm, far more particulates are being carried by the churning water. As Mike explains, "A gully-rusher would plug the sand filters, so, an automatic valve shuts off the flow." A metal plate at the rear of the tank raises up, bringing the water level in the tank up to the height of the pipe in the foreground, and sending it back to the river.

Sand Filters

     The slow sand filters - giant, completely roofed, rectangular, concrete tanks, set into the ground, each with a five-foot-deep layer of specially-ordered, very clean sand. Inside, the standing water is slowly pulled by gravity through the sand. At the very top 1/4 inch, tiny suspended particles, including such "bugs" as Giardia or Crypto-spiridium, are trapped.  Near where this picture was taken is a small cinder-block shed with gauges measuring water turbidity and level. The incoming river water had a reading of .485, while the filtered water coming out measured .185 turbidity. Any reading below 1.0 is within legal purity, so the filters are doing their job. In spring and fall, when turbidity is much higher, "We try to use them up to 3.0, but that's pushing it. In just a few weeks, they'll be clogged," Mike lamented.

Headloss Meter

     For every one to three million gallons of water that sinks through the sand, depending on the water's turbidity, the headloss (pressure offset by the gradual clogging of the filter) increases until it hits 40" on the metering pipe.  Mike Tiller explains, "If we didn't have any headloss, the length of the pipes would be the same. As the filter plugs, the headloss will increase."  The headloss metering pipe, standing in the sand-filled water, drops 40 inches and more, while the pipe standing behind it,  in a column of plain water, remains at the same height. The filter becomes clogged, and the clog is right at the top.  The crew must then shut off incoming river water to that tank, so it can drain, then climb down in and carefully shovel roughly a dump truck load of sand off the top, into huge buckets that are hoisted out with a boom-truck. Sand filter # 3 is due up next for removal of the plugged, top layer of sand.  There are four of them.

Heavy Water Use Recorded

     On the day of our tour, with the temperature hovering near 90 degrees, the water use was so heavy, the level in the reservoir, recorded on this graph, dropped precipitously. Production needed to increase quickly to replace the depleted supply, so Tiller called the water crew from working in the river near the intakes, and reassigned them to the task of purchasing over 20 gallons of bleach at the Plaza Market, and carefully mixing it in the "day tank" in the main pump house, to speed up the chlorination process. 

Well Number One

     The Number One well house.  According to Tiller,  well Number One has gone dry three times in three years during peak use. There are three town wells. Tiller states, "We tried running water from one of the wells through a sand filter, but the "glacial flour," (or colloidal materials), would go right through the sand, and we'd go over the 1.0 reading, which would be illegal." He pointed out there are other types of filters that will block the glacial flour. Mike added that the river water is sometimes more pure than that from the wells.

Main Pump House

     The main pump house.  Here, chlorine is carefully mixed into the water, and from here it goes through two "clear wells" - huge holding tanks - then is pumped through a pipe, up to Reservoir Number  One. The time it takes for the water to move through these areas gives the chlorine the "contact  time" needed to do its job. 

Clear Well

   Next to the main pump house are two "clear wells," large storage tanks that give the chlorine time to work. From here the "finished water" is pumped up to the reservoir. As Tiller explains, "Part of the solution [to the town's difficulty in meeting peak demand] is to build another reservoir." The town could then have enough supply to fall back on, and replenish during off-peak times.

 Chlorine Tank

     Inside the chlorination building, the long, gray "salt cell" attached to the wall is continually making chlorine, about 12 lbs. per day. The high flow need on peak days is around 13 lbs. A second cell, just ordered Wednesday, will go beside this one, upping the daily chlorine output to 24 lbs, plenty for our town's present needs.

Danger! Caustic Soda

     The double-walled tank of extremely corrosive sodium hydroxide (or caustic soda), from which chlorine is manufactured. In the event the tank itself should leak, the second wall around it is designed to contain the substance, which will even eat through concrete.

Pumps and Pipes

     The system of pipes, pumps and valves deep in the bowels of the chlorination building. The large, old pump standing in the center of the picture has served well, but has reached the end of its life span, and is being replaced. Still, "We can pump more than we can produce," said Tiller.

Wastewater Treatment "Pond"

     The original wastewater treatment pond, covered with duckweed, is visited regularly by mallards and other migratory waterfowl. This pond now serves as a holding tank for the bio-solids. It will eventually have to be emptied. Before it reaches this larger pond, the wastewater goes into a "sequential batch reactor," a new, smaller, and more efficient secondary treatment tank. The new tank can handle 530,000 gallons per day. The high for the month so far was 130,000 gallons. Tiller explains, "Wastewater treatment does not get rid of the waste. It stabilizes the wastewater, so the water and the waste can be separated. The separation creates three layers - the waste, clear water, and a scum layer at the top. A pump sends just the clear water back into the river." Another sends the waste into the large holding and aeration pond. Tiller said during the winter there are sometimes as many as 300 waterfowl on the "pond." Most people say they would not eat ducks from this "pond."

Digesting Sludge

                                                                     (photo by Dixie A. Walter)

     The waste-activated sludge being treated in the "sequential batch reactor." In the digester, tiny microbes break down the waste, which contains both organic and inorganic solids. The level of fecal coliforms in the treated water is tested four times monthly by an outside source, for compliance. This and many other tests are performed continuously, according to a schedule set by the Wash. State Dept. of Health. 

Tools of the Trade

In the Laboratory

     In the lab at the treatment plant, a computer monitor displays various readings, such as dissolved oxygen levels, in the treatment tank, the holding pond, the digester and the "post EQ" holding tank.

Sartorius Scale

     The Sartorius Scale, an analytical scale in the lab that can measure mass down to 10,000ths of a gram. This is one of many scientific instruments used in the lab.

Cell Cultures

     The three white, round disks in this tank are cell cultures, growing in a temperature-controlled environment. One is a "blank," or control sample, the other two containing samples taken from the treated wastewater. Water/Sewer Superintendent Mike Tiller will compare the rate of growth in the two samples with that of the blank. This is a certified lab, and Tiller is tested twice yearly by the Environmental Protection Agency to keep his accreditation. The EPA sends him blind samples to analyze. He sends back his lab test results, and in a month or so hears back as to whether he passes. And you thought mid-terms were stressful!

Spare Parts for Repairs

                                                                   (photo by Dixie A. Walter)

     This is only a small portion of the "spare parts" salvaged by Mike Tiller and the public works crew. Tiller is proud of this collection of pipe, flanges, etc.

More Spare Parts

                                                                  (photo by Dixie A. Walter)

Huge Wrench

                          (photo by Dixie A. Walter)

The End

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"Children of a culture born in a water-rich environment,
we have never really learned how important water is
to us. We understand it, but we do not respect it."

~William Ashworth 

"We have been quick to assume rights to use water but slow to
recognize obligations to preserve and protect it...In short, we
need a water ethic--a guide to right conduct in the face of
complex decisions about natural systems we do not
and cannot fully understand."

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 Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity

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Have become one."

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