MCC Water Infrastructure and Conservation Rural and Suburban

History  School built in mid-70s  Only option was well water – no mains available  Two wells feet deep each  Pump into reservoir under pump house (holds 250,000 gallons)  Crystal Lake water main added in 2000’s, too $$ to hookup  Evolving from rural to suburban

Pump House

Annual State Water Survey  How much taken from aquifer annually – 80’s: 2.5 million gallons – 2006: 7.9 million gallons – 2010: 7.5 million gallons – 2014: 5.6 million gallons Breakdown – 2M: process/washing 3M: bathrooms 500K+: fire suppression, horticulture and fire science classes

 Process/washing: – Kitchen equipment – Washing machines (4) – Irrigations: gardens, baseball fields  Fire suppression: – Fire science building – Reservoir tanks

Pump House  Water from aquifer is pumped up to house – PO4 first (phosphate) – coats pipes to keep lead from leaching, sequesters iron and magnesium – Sodium hypochlorite – disinfectant – Then to reservoir to be pumped to school as needed and for fire suppression

Pumps from wells

Phosphate

Sodium Hypochlorite

Maintenance  Three Daily tests for Chlorine levels  Daily inspection of pump house: – Check and record water meter readings – Remaining chlorine – Room temperature – Reservoir depth – Amount of phosphate  Monthly water testing for bacteria  Twice a year: lead, copper, arsenic, VOC, IOC, SOC, nitrate/nitrites  Divers!

Ladder to resevoir

Issues  Cost – challenge to figure out – Billed by city of CL Sewer Department on what we withdraw from aquifer. (between $3-$4/gallon) – Not factoring in any loss, irrigation, etc – Cost per gallon: how factor in maintenance/labor, footprint of pump house

Issues – Crystal Lake Watershed  The Crystal Lake Watershed - an area of approximately 2300 acres of land, primarily north of the lake. Crystal Lake is unique among many other lakes in the area, as its water does not come from a spring nor is the lake fed by a stream or river.  The lake is fed by a variety of sources: – The Lippold Field drainage tile (pipe) – Drainage from Cove Pond – Direct precipitation on the lake – Groundwater that percolates from shallow underground aquifers – Direct surface runoff

Issues – Crystal Lake Watershed  Crystal Lake Watershed Design Manual and Implementation Plan – BMPs to ensure return to aquifer, stormwater treatment and removal  Development at MCC, impervious surface – Parking lots, pond restoration

Issues  Taste! – Raw well water, safe but…. – Iron, manganese, sediment – Odor an issue too  Fitness center put in an RO system  Water bottle filling stations – 10 in 3 years – Filters an issue – Over 500,000 fills to date

Conservation and Ongoing Discussions  With budget cycles, older equipment being replaced – Over 200 toilets and urinals, switching to 1.6gpm – Over 150 sinks – switching them over to.5gpm  Cost per gallon issue, audit process  Landscaping – native plantings  Education on conservation at all levels  30,000 gallons per day for 475 staff and 6,500 students