Everything You Ought to Know about

your Water and Wastewater Systems, but were Afraid to

Ask

April 30, 2020

What is the Village District of Eastman (VDE) ?

• Municipal Overlay District• Provides Potable Water and Wastewater services to

portions of three towns• 1320 water customers• 535 wastewater customer• Functions in the same manner as a NH Town• Annual Meeting and three elected Commissioners• Water is funded through real estate tax (58%) and

user fees (42%)• Wastewater is funded through user fees only (100%)

Who is the VDE ?• Three Commissioners: B. Parker, D. Wood, K. Karash• Treasurer: D. Wright, Deputy Treasurer: B. Samuels• Five employees:

Amy LewisGeneral Manager

Naomi HastingsAdmin Assistant

Who is the VDE ?• Five employees:

Josh RuelOperator

Verne BrehioOperator

Steven ChervinckyOperator

Where is the VDE?

VDE OfficeWater Treatment Plant

Wastewater Treatment PlantVDE Maintenance Garage

The Potable Water System

• Source of Water• Treatment• Water Quality Testing• Storage• Distribution• Funding/Budget• Issues and Concerns

Source: Where Do We Get Our Water ?

• Rain & Snow• Infiltration • Groundwater

• Bedrock• Sand & Gravel

• Bog Brook watershed• Five wells: total permitted yield = 583.3 K gpd

Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6

Source 1A, 1B & 1C:Three smaller overburden wells that pull water from the sand and gravel aquifer32 – 35 feet deep,high Fe and MnPermitted total max yield: 216K gpd

Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6

Source 6:Single larger overburden well that pulls water from the sand & gravel aquifer50 feet deep, high Fe and MnPermitted total max yield: 244.8K gpd

Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6

Source 5:Single deep bedrock well that pulls water from the rock fissure aquifer1,200 feet deep, low Fe and MnPermitted total max yield: 122.5K gpd

Five Wells: Sources 1A, 1B, 1C, 5 & 6The water from all of the wells is blended together at the Pump Control Building. VFDs set the pumping rates.

Pump Control Building VFDs

Range: 4th of July: 1.45 Mgal/wk January: 0.53 Mgal/wk

Treatment: How & What Parameters

• Green Sand Filters• Iron Removal• Manganese Removal

• Chlorination• pH Adjustment

How Does a Green Sand Filter Work ?

Water Quality Testing

Continuous Monitoring or Daily Testing:

• Iron• Manganese• Chlorine• pH• Permanganate Residual• Alkalinity• Conductivity

Water Quality Testing

Monthly Testing: • Bacteria at 4 locations in

the distribution systemQuarterly Testing:

• Whatever NHDES requests• Recently:

Nitrate, Nitrite, Uranium

Less Frequent Testing:

• Lead and Copper – 3 years• Asbestos – starting in 2020

Water Quality Testing: The Data

Treated water leaving plant or at remote points:

Parameter WQ Criteria Data Range

• Iron 0.3 mg/l 0.00 – 0.10 mg/l

• Manganese 0.05 mg/l 0.003 – 0.005 mg/l

• Chlorine > 0.2 mg/l 0.9 at plant0.5 at Anderson Pond

• Bacteria Absent Absent - Absent

What Comes Next ?

Do you know what this is and where it is located ?

Storage Tank Capacity• Two concrete tanks: Snow Hill (200 Kgal) & Hilltop (180Kgal)• Water surface elevation in tanks sets pressure in system

Two Booster Pump Stations

Snow Hill Pump Station Link Lane Pump Station

VDE’s Water Distribution System

• Approx. 45 miles of water main, which is highly variable

• Diameters vary from 8 inches to 2 inches

• Materials include plastic, cast iron, and asbestos-cement

• Some is very brittle (Longwood, Fernwood, Hummingbird)

• Flanges and saddles were attached using iron bolts

• Low number of gate valves expands out of service areas

• Two elevated zones that require booster pressure pumps

• Many copper house service lines have developed leaks

• Rocks in the trench back fill cause numerous problems

Anderson Pond Pumped Pressure Zone

Snow HillPumped Pressure Zone

VDE’s Water Distribution System

Gate valve in road Shut off valve for house

Time for a Quiz

What are these pictures illustrating ?

Funding/Budget

$ $

• Total 2019 Budget = $989K• Operations = $569 K• Debt Service = $219 K• Reserve Trust Funds = $201 K

• Real Estate Taxes = $576 K• User Fees = $365 K

• 36.5 Mgal x $0.01/gal• Other = $48 K

“Wasted Water”• Lost to leaks

• 2016 = 10.4 Mgal/year• 2017 = 13.2 Mgal/year • 2018 = 13.4 Mgal/year• 2019 = 15.1 Mgal/year

• It costs $$ to pump and treat every gallon of water, but we get Zero revenue from water lost through leaks

Issues and Concerns

Issues and Concerns• Rusted iron bolts and saddles

• Major leak at Niblick lane was rusted flange bolts

• Recent leak on Bunker was disintegrated saddle

• Six saddle failures in 3 years • The entire system used iron

bolts and fittings• Now we use stainless steel• We can not replace all 1300+

saddles and flanges• Thus there will be more leaks

Issues and Concerns

• Boulders and plastic pipe

• Age and condition of house service lines• 26 leaks in 3 years• Small leaks add up• ¼ Inch hole = 13K gpd

Issues and Concerns• Brittle plastic pipe

• Longwood• Fernwood• Hummingbird• Where else ?

Issues and Concerns• Variations in incoming water

quality • Why did iron, manganese,

and organics increase in Source 1 last July ?

• Source # 6 reduced yield• All gravel pack wells

accumulate screen precipitate

• How any more times can we surge #6 and restore “normal” yields ?

Issues and Concerns• Filter back flow flushing

has an impact on distribution system

• We are considering possibility of changing back flow procedures to not totally depend on storage tanks, in order to reduce stirring up of sediment and reducing water hammer

Time to Change Gears

Next Up is Wastewater !!!!

Please do not leave, just because you have your own septic system

Septic systems will be discussed at the end

The Wastewater System

• Collection

• Treatment

• Storage

• Disposal

• Funding/Budget

• Issues and Concerns

Wastewater: Collection

7.88 Miles of gravity sewer

1.75 Miles of Force Main

Serves all condos and homes that can reach sewer by gravity

What is a Gravity Sewer ?• The force of gravity does the work• No pumping, no electricity required• 8-inch diameter buried pipes between manholes• Works where natural slope is available

Manhole cover

What is a Force Main Sewer ?• Used where gravity does not the

work• Pumping up and over a high point,

electricity required• 4-inch diameter pressurized pipes

West Cove A Pump Station

Wastewater: Treatment

• Primary Treatment = Remove Solids

• Secondary Treatment = Reduce BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand)

• Tertiary Treatment = Reduce Nutrient Concentrations

• Disinfection = Destroy Pathogens

Wastewater: Treatment

What do we have at Eastman ?• Combined primary

and secondary• Extended aeration

lagoons• Disinfection after

Holding Ponds and prior to reuse for irrigation

Wastewater: Storage

What do the ponds at John’s

Glen do ?

• Store treated water until it

can be used for irrigation

• Additional treatment

• Partial disposal via seepage

• Chlorination

Wastewater: Disposal

Beneficial Reuse is a sustainable strategy:

• Chlorine concentration is the key factor for success

• Pipe capacity limits volume

• Permit compliance samples are collected at 14th Fairway Pond

Wastewater: Disposal

What about the “requirement” for a large leaching field in the upper portion of John’s Glen ?

• Designed and approved

• Currently deferred, as long as we meet discharge

permit compliance criteria

• Staff changes at NHDES ???

• Discharge permit criteria may change

Wastewater: Funding/Budget

• Completely funded from users fees, paid by 535 customers. Flat fee $672.24 per year, plus $0.102 per 100 g of water used.

• No real estate tax money.

• Separate set of accounts.

• Total annual 2019 budget = $ 400K.

• $ 167K for operations.

• $ 45 K for debt service.

• $ 188K for reserve funds.

$ $

Wastewater: Issues and Concerns

• What is flushed down the toilet or drain !!!!!!!• NO: diapers, sanitary napkins,

rags, cooking grease• YES: human toilet wastes,

washing machine discharge, dishwasher discharge, food disposal discharge

• Age of key components in system• 40 years of minimal maintenance• Uncertainty regarding future

discharge permit compliance

Wastewater: Real Progress

• Completed:• Upgrades at West Cove A & B Pump

Stations• New flow measuring system at

Headworks Building, and flow splitter• Duplex smaller pumps at Effluent

Pump Station• Five miles of TV inspections and sewer

line cleaning• Upcoming in the next few years:

• Baffles in treatment lagoons• New aeration diffusers and blowers

Septic Systems

• What treatment does a septic system provide?• Solids removal - if tank is pumped to maintain volume • Destruction of pathogens – if there is an aerated zone

below the leaching field• Your septic tank followed by leaching field• Will the leaching field last forever ? NO !!!!• Why do they fail – solids accumulate in leaching field &

block pore spaces - need to limit solids sent to tank• What is risk to lake ? - Nutrients primarily phosphorus,

not removed in tank or leach field• Recommendation - Pump every two years

The End

• Any final questions on any subject ???

• Thank you for attending, and hopefully you now know more about the water and wastewater systems we depend on than you did when you arrived tonight.

• Please come to our Annual Meeting which is held in late March or early April of each year. We vote our budget, elect our officials, and provide and annual update on our progress and problems.

• Please attend our Open House in 2021. See the inside of our buildings and enjoy free hotdogs !!!