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Edmond Life and Leisure - July 18, 2024
City of Edmond invests in the future with water infrastructure projects City Source
From City Source Edmond
Safe and plentiful drinking water is essential for any community.
For the past two decades, Edmond’s population has grown tremendously, along with its need for water. City leaders and staff have studied future needs and considered the best way to ensure that water is available today and into the distant future.
To meet those far-reaching needs, several significant projects – at a cost of more than a half-billion dollars – are underway to improve the City’s water system.
“The benefit is the improvement to the reliability and resilience of our current water system and leaving it better for future generations,” said Kris Neifing, the Director of Water Resources for the City of Edmond. “What we have now is getting older and coming up on its useful life expectancy. These projects will take us past that point and provide our residents with a more modern system that is easily expandable, if needed in the future.”
Edmond’s entire water system can be divided into five categories: Sources, Water Treatment, Distribution, Collection, and Wastewater Treatment. Making improvements to only one of these categories is not practical. An upgrade to one area requires upgrades to all areas. If a City plans to produce three times more water, it needs to be able to collect three times more water from its sources, deliver three times more water to its customers, then collect and treat three times more wastewater.
Edmond has three water sources: Arcadia Lake, the Garber Wellington Aquifer and the option to purchase water from Oklahoma City.
The primary source of water comes from Arcadia Lake, which was constructed in 1986 as a cooperative effort between the City of Edmond and the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers. Although Arcadia Lake serves as a flood control for the Deep Fork River Basin, it also provides 4 billion gallons of water each year to the Edmond Water Treatment plant. In 2012, an Arcadia Lake Yield Study determined that the lake could supply 60 percent more water than originally calculated. Instead of providing 4 billion gallons annually, the study found the amount available is 6.4 billion gallons.
The current intake structure that draws and delivers raw lake water to the Treatment Plant is not capable of delivering 6.4 billion gallons per year. So, the City moved forward with the construction of a new intake structure. When completed, it will be capable of pumping 30 million gallons in one day. It is also designed to expand, when necessary. This project includes a pump station, along with giant 48-inch transmission lines to move massive amounts of raw water to the Treatment plant.
This huge construction project has been separated into different phases, some of which are complete. The control building was finished in July 2022. It houses the laboratory and office facilities for the plant. Phase 1 of the construction project is also complete. It includes the solids handling facility that processes spent lime generated from the softening stage and repurposes it for agricultural purposes.
Phase 2 is underway with improvements to the electrical infrastructure, the addition of generators, construction of a new high-lift pump station, large water storage tanks, granular activated carbon filters, and a new backwash basin/pump station. The estimated completion for all phases of the water treatment plant is 2029.
“Our current water plant was not built for expansion,” Neifing said. “The new intake and water treatment plant will not only more than double our water plant capacity, it will also allow us – both now and in the future – to get the maximum use out of the lake resource.”
Once water has been treated and is safe to use, it enters the Distribution stage. Distribution includes the large underground water main lines, water towers, and storage tanks positioned around the city. They are crucial for creating water pressure in the system, especially the pressure needed by the Fire Department to fight fires. There are several improvements to the Distribution system that are planned and in progress.
A new water tower is almost complete near 33rd Street and Broadway. It holds two million gallons – four times more than the operating tower nearby. Another two million-gallon water tower is planned near the University of Central Oklahoma for increased reliability in the downtown area. Also, large ground storage tanks are being built near Second Street and I-35, which will balance the storage and pumping from the Water Plant to the water distribution system and will provide resiliency in case of emergencies. When completed, the City will be able to store 6 million gallons of water.
There are also plans for a 24-inch water line running along 33rd Street from I-35 west to Broadway. Its larger capacity will improve pressure on the south side of Edmond and will help supply the new water tower on 33rd Street. From these storage tanks and towers, this important resource is then successfully transported through water main lines to Edmond businesses, schools, hospitals, and homes.
Edmond’s second water source is the GarberWellington Aquifer. To collect water from the aquifer, the City utilizes 61 wells that pump water to the surface and add it to the Distribution system. Together, these wells can produce about 10 million gallons of water each day. Little treatment, if any, is required for well water. Once pumped from the ground, it immediately enters the Distribution stage. There are more wells planned to sustain future groundwater supply for reliability and resiliency. The goal is to produce an extra four to five million gallons per day. Water wells are a tremendous resource for Edmond because they are a drought-proof water supply.
Edmond’s third source is the option to purchase water from Oklahoma City. The purchasing agreement was first implemented in 2001 to help meet the peak summer demands caused by outdoor watering. This source of water can be very expensive and is subject to Oklahoma City’s water rate changes, regulations, and schedules. The improvements being made to Edmond’s water system will soon remove Edmond’s dependence on water from another municipality, saving the City an estimated $1 million dollars annually.
Transporting water to homes and businesses isn’t the end of the story, though. The City is also responsible for wastewater that is flushed or goes down the drain. The collection and treatment of wastewater is part of Edmond’s overall water system.
Wastewater eventually makes its way to the Coffee Creek Water Resources Recovery Facility, but it must be transported there with the help of wastewater pipes and lift stations. There are several projects throughout Edmond where main wastewater lines are being upgraded to larger sizes to address existing system issues and accommodate more flow. In total, about 10.5 miles of lines will be upgraded over the next few years.
All of that wastewater flows to the recently expanded Coffee Creek facility. Before its renovations, the plant could only treat 9 million gallons of wastewater per day. Since the expansion, it can treat 12 million gallons of wastewater each day. It is also compliant with new rules established by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Once the wastewater is treated, it is safe to be discharged into the nearby Coffee Creek.
Each construction project for Edmond’s water distribution system requires years of planning. Building materials must be extremely durable and structures must meet rigorous standards. Projects typically take years to accomplish, oftentimes performed by specialty-skilled crews. All of these factors contribute to a substantial cost. Project funding comes from user rate increases and issuing long-term debt. The long-term financing allows a better phased approach to rate increases and ensures that customers who move to Edmond in the future contribute to the infrastructure being built today.
“From a planning perspective, we always want to minimize the impact to the bills of our current customers,” Neifing said, “and also make sure the cost of the growth component is shared equitably with both our current customers and future customers as Edmond continues to grow.”
Even though the City of Edmond will have the capability to produce more water for Edmond residents, the need to conserve water remains incredibly important. Peak water demand occurs in the summer due to the increase in outdoor watering. Water demand can triple from the current 8 million gallons per day winter average to 25 million gallons per day in the summer months. Residents can conserve water by efficiently using outdoor water irrigation systems and making the most of exterior landscapes. Check out EdmondWater.com for a large resource of conservation practices that prevent water waste.
The City of Edmond also offers residents the tools to proactively conserve water. Smart meter technology allows residents to view their daily water usage and observe how small adjustments can lower the amount of water used, conserving water and reducing their utility bill.
To find out more about Edmond’s Water Resources, visit EdmondWater.com. Learn about the variety of water construction projects by checking out the Interactive Projects Map at EdmondOK.gov/Projects.
Learn more about what’s happening around the City at www.edmondok.gov/CitySource.
