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WATER
RESOURCES ELEMENT
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of Contents]
INTRODUCTION
This element
describes the current water system for the Town of Eagar and provides an
understanding of possible needs associated with future growth. It contains goals
and objectives to assure an efficient and adequate supply of water.
YESTERDAY AND TODAY
Effective
water resource planning and management is essential to provide a safe
environment and the quality of life expected by the residents of the Town of
Eagar. Adequate water supplies and water/wastewater services are a necessity for
the Town. Groundwater quality and quantity will continue to be evaluated, as
will alternative water sources. Capacity of the wastewater treatment plant will
continue to be examined and expanded to keep pace with growth. Existing
infrastructure will need to be maintained and/or upgraded and new infrastructure
will be required to service new development areas. Through effective and
efficient water resource planning, the Town of Eagar will be able to meet the
demands of the future.
The water
supply and distribution system as well as the wastewater collection and
treatment system for the Town of Eagar is operated by the Town's Department of
Public Works. The water system supplies water for domestic use, fire
suppression, and some irrigation purposes. The sewer collection and treatment
system currently provides services for approximately 60% of the Town.
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Eagar’s water supply and distribution system consists of the
following:
· One spring line that produces approximately 0.1
million gallons per day (MGD).
· Seven wells estimated to be capable of producing
1.4 (MGD) if pumped 24 hours per day.
· Four storage tanks providing approximately 1.5
million gallons of water storage.
· Approximately 314,000 feet of water mains varying
in size from 2-inch to 10-inch.
·
An estimated 130 fire hydrants.
Many areas of the Town can experience low pressures during peak
usage periods due to
undersized lines and the absence of water line looping.
The Town’s water usage averages from 150,000 gallons per day
during the winter to 1,000,000
gallons per day during the summer. The capacity of the existing
wells is 1,055 gallons per
minute, which is 77 gallons per minute less than the current
peak demand.
The Town is currently preparing plans for two new wells to be
constructed. The production of the
new wells will determine the number and frequency in
which additional wells or alternative sources of water will be required.
Eagar’s wastewater system consists of the following:
· Approximately 175,000 feet of sewer line ranging
in size from 4-inch to 15-inch.
· An estimated 274 manholes.
· A lagoon and pond treatment system with a
capacity of approximately 0.3 MGD.
· A reuse system to provide crop irrigation.
It is
estimated that approximately 60% of the Town uses the wastewater system, and the
rest utilizes individual septic tank systems. Many parts of the existing sewer
system in the old town site suffer from antiquated, undersized pipes and
mainlines, in addition to infiltration from irrigation leakage.
Potentially the repair of the older collection lines may increase
the existing flow into the treatment
plant. New development will definitely increase the flow. When
the current treatment plant reaches 90% capacity the Town should begin planning
for the treatment plant expansion or
modification to accommodate increased flow.
The effluent from the wastewater treatment plant is currently used
for irrigation of pasture and
crop land. In addition, a smaller portion of the effluent is
lost through evaporation and
percolation.
Because of the
large elevation change across the Town, during low water demand times, the north
side experiences water pressure over 105 psi. Conversely, when the demand is
high, the south portion of Town experiences water pressures below the ideal
value of 45 pounds per square inch (psi). These pressures may impact the
provision of water for fire suppression.
Eagar also has
an irrigation ditch system that is owned and operated by the Round Valley Water
Users Association. All irrigation water is obtained through water rights from
the Little Colorado River. Historically, the ditches have been well maintained.
However, many ditches do not receive sufficient maintenance, which can cause
street and road damage.
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PLANNING ISSUES
· As the Town continues to grow, it must continue
to prepare for new opportunities.
Infrastructure and capacity to support current residents and the
anticipated growth of the
Town of Eagar is essential.
·
The Town of
Eagar currently experiences a water production deficiency during times of peak
usage. The water system demand will continue to increase as the Town grows. It
is desirable to have the wells run during off-peak hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
This will compound the potential for production shortfalls. It is recommended
that the Town continue with their current plans to install a new well. The
production of this new well will determine when the next source will need to be
brought online.
· Using a conservative growth rate of 1.2%, the
Town will need to have a minimum of an
additional 220,000 gallons per day to meet the demand in the
year 2010. This translates to
an additional 153 gallons per minute of well production.
·
New wells
may be necessary to meet future population growth. The well(s) currently under
construction should be sufficient to meet the current demand. If this additional
capacity does not meet the anticipated 2010 demand, the Town should immediately
begin setting aside funds to drill an additional well.
·
Several
water lines that provide fire service are smaller than the minimum required
diameter of 8 inches. This presents the possibility of inadequate fire
suppression in some areas. The ideal water pressure at any point in the system
is between 45 and 95 psi. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
requires at least 20 psi.
·
The current
water storage requirement, when including storage for fire suppression, is
inadequate and this shortfall is anticipated to increase as the Town continues
to grow. The Town should consider constructing additional storage tank(s) placed
at strategic locations to provide the required additional storage and reduce
pressure deficiencies caused by undersized lines.
· There is an immediate need for an additional 0.75
million gallons of storage for the current
conservation should be incorporated in future planning as a tool
to reduce water consumption
and increasing the available supply.
·There
are currently no organized water conservation efforts in the Town of Eagar.
Water conservation should be incorporated in future planning as a tool to reduce
water consumption and increasing the available supply.
· The Town of Eagar has a number of wastewater
collection lines and manholes in need of
repair and/or replacement. As the community continues to grow,
this may place additional
burdens on these lines compounding the current maintenance
difficulties.
·
The Town
needs to implement a sewer line and manhole repair and/or replacement program to
eliminate the older clay lines. This will eliminate the leaching of wastewater
from the deteriorated lines into the ground water and potentially into the
aquifer from which your drinking water is taken.
·
The Town
may need to continue to extend the collection system to serve new development,
as well as existing development that are currently on septic systems. Septic
systems are regulated by the county and can be potential health hazards. By
extending wastewater services to these properties, this potential health hazard
can be greatly reduced.
· The wastewater treatment plant will need to be
monitored for capacity.
·
The flow
into the wastewater treatment plant is currently monitored daily to provide the
information necessary to evaluate the timing of the expansion and/or
modification to the plant. New development and/or repair of the existing system
will eventually increase the flow and exceed the capacity of the treatment
plant.
· The Town of Eagar should consider additional uses
of the effluent from the wastewater
treatment plant. With additional treatment, the water
potentially could be used for the
irrigation of parks and/or the golf course.
·
The Town
would need to make system improvements in order to use the effluent from the
wastewater treatment plant to irrigate Town parks or the golf course. These
improvements would include installing an effluent pump station and additional
piping from the treatment plant to an existing line that currently ends at the
northern Town limits. As the amount of effluent continues to increase with
growth, the Town should consider these capital expenditures to put the effluent
to use in a way that would decrease the demand for domestic water.
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GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND POLICIES
GOAL: PROVIDE A WATER SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES SAFE AND ADEQUATE
SERVICE
UNDER ALL CONDITIONS.
Objective:
Improve
existing water system to have the ability to provide adequate pressure and
quantities of water to the entire Town during all circumstances.
Policy: Replace the transite pipe through the older area
of town and
replace all water mains 4 inches or smaller with minimum
8-inch
pipe.
Policy: Add 2 additional wells as planned and continue to
identify
additional water sources.
GOAL: ENSURE THAT THE WATER SYSTEM CAN SUPPORT GROWTH.
Objective:
Identify new water sources and storage and delivery systems that will be needed
for Eagar to grow efficiently and avoid future water shortages.
Policy: An additional 1,000,000-gallon storage tank
should be acquired
immediately to overcome the storage shortage, with additional
tanks to be added to the system as growth continues.
Policy: Repair or pipe the ditch irrigation system to
prevent future road
damage and increase water conservation by eliminating this
loss
of water.
Policy: Incorporate water infrastructure requirements
into the Capital
Improvement Plan.
Objective: Identify improvements to the
wastewater system that will be
necessary to support new development and areas that are not
currently served.
Policy: Evaluate current line sizes and identify lines
for replacement with
larger size lines to eliminate bottlenecks.
Policy: Monitor flow into the treatment plant and begin
planning for the
expansion and/or modification to the plant when it reaches
90%
capacity.
GOAL: DEVELOP A WASTEWATER SYSTEM THAT IS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
AND
SAFE.
Objective: Reduce potential environmental hazards in the
wastewater
collection and treatment systems.
Policy: Replace deteriorating wastewater lines and
manholes.
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