Municipal water supply resilience
Tools to achieve municipal water supply resilience
EPA’s Climate Ready Water Utilities Program
As temperatures warm, changes in the water cycle will challenge the reliability of water supplies in some areas. Optimizing the use of supplies from different sources while meeting water-quality standards is crucial to success.
Earth’s oceans and atmosphere are warming. Scientists project that subsequent changes in the water cycle will challenge the reliability of water supplies in some areas. Changes in the amount of precipitation that falls as rain versus snow and earlier spring snowmelt are among the climate-related changes likely to affect the quality and quantity of some water supplies. Non-climate factors such as increased demand from growing populations and aging infrastructure can compound these issues, threatening the ample supply of clean, safe water and reliable wastewater services many Americans take for granted.
To ensure uninterrupted future services, water managers must make infrastructure decisions sooner than later. Decisions to build reservoirs, purchase desalination equipment or increase capacity to manage stormwater or wastewater can take a decade or more to implement plus remain viable for decades into the future.
Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) Case Study : Fredericktown, Missouri
https://toolkit.climate.gov/case-studies/addressing-short-and-long-term-risks-water-supply
Resiliency appears to be key to developing a more trustworthy water supply and sanitation system. A 2017 Canadian policy brief highlights best practices:
https://www.iisd.org/library/building-climate-resilient-city-water-supply-and-sanitation-systems
Key message from that brief include:
- Building and maintaining a water supply system resilient to climate shocks requires “multi-barrier” methods that strengthen all infrastructure components.
- Redundancy in water supply should be a policy priority with the flexibility to shift between surface and groundwater options.
- Highly decentralized water supply and sanitation options are now feasible; they provide resilience and complement centralized systems.
- Water conservation and green infrastructure options for stormwater management are proven approaches for reducing climate risks.
The EPS’s Route to Resilience (RtoR) Tool can be of benefit to water managers, too. It uses brief videos and an easy to navigate interface to guide users through the process of building their own unique Roadmap to Resilience report. The RtoR presents five stops to resiliency:
- Assess
- Plan
- Train
- Respond
- Recover
Get started here:
https://www.epa.gov/waterresilience/route-resilience-2018-drinking-water-and-wastewater-utilities
Sources:
Excerpted and adapted from the report Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment (Chapter 2: Our Changing Climate and Chapter 3: Water Resources) and the Water Resources/Climate Impacts and Adaptation Examples webpage published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Hydrological Investigation
Engineering water wells begins with a thorough understanding of the aquifer. Test holes are necessary to determine the aquifers integrity and locate an acceptable location for the new well. A location which has the following properties is highly desirable:
- Saturated Thickness – High
- Relative Density – Low
- Coarseness of the Sand – High
- Amount of Fines in the STRATUM – Low
From a single well to an entire field – BWP’s capabilities and track record speak for themselves. We provide our clients the data and analysis that allows them to make confident decisions.
A Hydrologic Engineering Study is approached as a multi-phase project at Brotcke Well & Pump, Inc. While there can be many variations from project to project, our approach is as follows:
- PHASE 1 Test Boring Program
- PHASE 2 Laboratory Sieve Analysis
- PHASE 3 Test Well Construction and Pump Testing
- PHASE 4 Engineering Analysis and Report
LOCATING NEW SOURCES OF GROUND WATER FOR OVER 35 YEARS
BWP, INC. | EXPERT WATER WELL & PUMP SERVICES
- Hydro-geologic Design Services
- Water Well Installation
- Water Well Rehab
- Pump Sales & Installation
- Complete Pump Service and Repair
- In-house Machine Shop Services
- Geotechnical & Environmental Drilling
- Direct Push Services
Airshock
The AirShock® Impulse Generator (AIG) is the latest, environmentally-safe water well rehabilitation process. It uses bursts of compressed gas to remove build-up from well screens, gravel packs and surrounding aquifers. It provides a “green” alternative to water well rehabilitation and development because it uses fewer (if any) chemical additives.
GREEN TECHNOLOGY
AIG fires automatically once every 2-3 seconds and each burst lasts just several dozens of milliseconds. Resulting shock waves and powerful water surges, produced by this process, successfully remove incrustation in the well screen, gravel pack and surrounding aquifer. In a very short time, a well is completely restored to the highest level of efficiency. The method is unique both in success and ease of setup and operation.
80 – 120% WATER WELL RESTORATION
AIRSHOCK® Impulse Generator is:
- Safe, environmentally friendly
- Highly effective for both screened and open wells
- Relatively short procedure of a few hours
- Well downtime 1-2 days only
- Used independently or in combination with chemicals
- Reliable equipment with negligible maintenance through years
- Contractor-owned
BWP, INC. | EXPERT WATER WELL & PUMP SERVICES
- Hydro-geologic Design Services
- Water Well Installation
- Water Well Rehab
- Pump Sales & Installation
- Complete Pump Service and Repair
- In-house Machine Shop Services
- Geotechnical & Environmental Drilling
- Direct Push Services
Reclaiming Efficiency
Over time, water wells become clogged and lose efficiency which directly relates to drinking water quality and quantity. Naturally occurring minerals precipitate out of solution as they enter the gravel pack and well screen of water wells. These minerals accumulate on the openings of the well screen and open spaces in the gravel pack, reducing the yield of the well. The precipitated minerals, along with oxygen introduced by the operation of the pump, cause an increase in biological activity, further reducing the yield of the well.
The environment in a water well is oxygen- and mineral-rich, ideal for bacteria to thrive and plugging to occur. If not cleaned, the gravel pack and well screens get clogged. The more clogged they get, the more costly it can be to rehabilitate a well. Left unattended, there is always the possibility of a system failure.
We won’t let that happen to you.
The Brotcke High Velocity Injection Process (U.S. Patent Number 5392814) is designed to clean this material mechanically by injecting a custom blend of chemicals at rates of up to 4,200 GPM with pressures of 60 PSI. By reversing the flow of fluid into the well at an extremely high rate, the loosened mineral and biological build up is removed from the well screen, gravel pack and native formation. Adding a custom blend of chemicals to the process achieves more effective cleaning by dissolving the mineral buildup and sequestering these materials so they can be removed from the well.
Our High Velocity Injection Technique has successfully rehabilitated hundreds of wells in the Midwest. Through this process, mineral deposits are removed from the formation as well as the well screen resulting in capacities much higher than those achieved by traditional methods of well cleaning.
Brotcke Well & Pump, Inc. (BWP) uses a patented High Velocity Injection Treatment process. It is a unique technique designed by BWP. A custom blend of chemicals engineered to meet each well’s specific requirements is injected and surged into the well and forced out into the formation.
All chemicals used by BWP are National Sanitary Foundation (NSF) approved.
Click the movie above to see the difference.
Our patented treatment system is designed to:
- clean the well screen with a combination of pressure and chemistry
- dissolve and remove build up
- sterilize the well environment
- improve flow capacity
CALL OR EMAIL FOR AN INSPECTION TODAY
BWP, INC. | EXPERT WATER WELL & PUMP SERVICES
- Hydro-geologic Design Services
- Water Well Installation
- Water Well Rehab
- Pump Sales & Installation
- Complete Pump Service and Repair
- In-house Machine Shop Services
- Geotechnical & Environmental Drilling
- Direct Push Services