(Feb. 9, 2017) Pocomoke City’s water troubles are caused by too much storage and not enough people making use of the service, resulting in stale water containing deposits of iron and other materials being fed into the town’s homes, according to GMB consultants, the firm hired by the town to identify the source of the problem.
Testing concluded the water leaving the plant contained no iron, or any of the other deposits that might cause the water to have an unpleasant odor, color and taste. The sediment-rich solution from the taps would also clog filters and stain clothing, dishware and houses washed with the substance. Several people have claimed the town’s water had changed the color of their hair.
Scott Getchell, the project manager for GMB on the Pocomoke City water problem, explained to the council Monday evening that the computer simulation of the town’s system yielded some answers to the town’s questions.
“It’s evident to us that the flows in the southern part of town are greatly diminished,” he said. “There’s sizable plumbing in the area, and a lot more storage than users.”
Getchell explained that as water in the pipes stagnates, it becomes more acidic and is therefore more likely to chemically interact with the transport pipes. The interaction creates the sediment, color and odor residents are complaining about.
Water is the baseline liquid on the pH scale, which determines degree of acidity or alkali content of a substance. Potable water measures seven on the pH scale, with higher numbers more alkali, or basic and lower numbers more acidic.
On Jan. 30 on Princess Anne Lane, the water measured a pH of 5.96, which, according to the Center for Disease Control, is more in line with substances like black coffee, saliva and milk.
Fixing that problem became a matter for the model, where certain scenarios could be run and results measured before the town had to spend money on solutions that weren’t guaranteed to do anything.
For instance, Getchell said the first idea run past the model was looping, where dead-end lines were connected back into the system, ostensibly increasing the overall flow of water. However, the model indicated that this solution wouldn’t work, and in fact made the situation worse in some areas, Getchell said.
Lowering the amount held in the towers to decrease the storage and closing certain valves in key areas also did little to improve the situation, Getchell said.
Additionally, the model was able to determine some measures the town had already taken, like installing three auto-flushers in the affected area, were of little value.
Those flushers are located at Somerset and Dorchester streets, 15th and Linden streets and Payne and Market streets.
Getchell recommended deactivating them.
Other auto-flushers, like those installed near the golf course, are helping, he said.
Getchell recommended courses of action, one of which has already been implemented: flushing a fire hydrant as close to Goose Creek as possible twice a day for 30 minutes each time. The town has exceeded this measure, according to City Manager/City Attorney Ernie Crofoot, by doubling the flushing recommendation.
Getchell also advised the council to develop a unidirectional flushing plan, which he said is “more effective at cleaning out sediment and organic matter within the distribution system.”
The idea behind unidirectional flushing is to take water from a clean source and blow it through a quarantined section or segment of pipe, leaving the byproducts only one direction to go — out.
The mayor and council agreed to begin developing this idea.
A third option is called “ice pigging,” which Getchell stopped short of recommending at this time, because he said it was very expensive, but very effective.
Ice pigging forces ice slurry through the pipes in order to flush out contaminants.
Eventually, Getchell said, the town may need a reclamation center to account for all of the water wasted by the flushing effort, but not yet.
Getchell ended his presentation by saying he didn’t consider this matter closed, and GMB will continue to monitor Pocomoke’s water system until it provides satisfactory service to town residents.
Several council members mentioned they had received fewer complaints about the water quality since the town began flushing the lines.
Testing concluded the water leaving the plant contained no iron, or any of the other deposits that might cause the water to have an unpleasant odor, color and taste. The sediment-rich solution from the taps would also clog filters and stain clothing, dishware and houses washed with the substance. Several people have claimed the town’s water had changed the color of their hair.
Scott Getchell, the project manager for GMB on the Pocomoke City water problem, explained to the council Monday evening that the computer simulation of the town’s system yielded some answers to the town’s questions.
“It’s evident to us that the flows in the southern part of town are greatly diminished,” he said. “There’s sizable plumbing in the area, and a lot more storage than users.”
Getchell explained that as water in the pipes stagnates, it becomes more acidic and is therefore more likely to chemically interact with the transport pipes. The interaction creates the sediment, color and odor residents are complaining about.
Water is the baseline liquid on the pH scale, which determines degree of acidity or alkali content of a substance. Potable water measures seven on the pH scale, with higher numbers more alkali, or basic and lower numbers more acidic.
On Jan. 30 on Princess Anne Lane, the water measured a pH of 5.96, which, according to the Center for Disease Control, is more in line with substances like black coffee, saliva and milk.
Fixing that problem became a matter for the model, where certain scenarios could be run and results measured before the town had to spend money on solutions that weren’t guaranteed to do anything.
For instance, Getchell said the first idea run past the model was looping, where dead-end lines were connected back into the system, ostensibly increasing the overall flow of water. However, the model indicated that this solution wouldn’t work, and in fact made the situation worse in some areas, Getchell said.
Lowering the amount held in the towers to decrease the storage and closing certain valves in key areas also did little to improve the situation, Getchell said.
Additionally, the model was able to determine some measures the town had already taken, like installing three auto-flushers in the affected area, were of little value.
Those flushers are located at Somerset and Dorchester streets, 15th and Linden streets and Payne and Market streets.
Getchell recommended deactivating them.
Other auto-flushers, like those installed near the golf course, are helping, he said.
Getchell recommended courses of action, one of which has already been implemented: flushing a fire hydrant as close to Goose Creek as possible twice a day for 30 minutes each time. The town has exceeded this measure, according to City Manager/City Attorney Ernie Crofoot, by doubling the flushing recommendation.
Getchell also advised the council to develop a unidirectional flushing plan, which he said is “more effective at cleaning out sediment and organic matter within the distribution system.”
The idea behind unidirectional flushing is to take water from a clean source and blow it through a quarantined section or segment of pipe, leaving the byproducts only one direction to go — out.
The mayor and council agreed to begin developing this idea.
A third option is called “ice pigging,” which Getchell stopped short of recommending at this time, because he said it was very expensive, but very effective.
Ice pigging forces ice slurry through the pipes in order to flush out contaminants.
Eventually, Getchell said, the town may need a reclamation center to account for all of the water wasted by the flushing effort, but not yet.
Getchell ended his presentation by saying he didn’t consider this matter closed, and GMB will continue to monitor Pocomoke’s water system until it provides satisfactory service to town residents.
Several council members mentioned they had received fewer complaints about the water quality since the town began flushing the lines.