October 26, 2004
dnr approves oak
creek aquifer storage of treated water
Utility first in state to
inject treated water into ground for storage, pump into water system
OAK CREEK – October 26, 2004 – After conducting a five-year pilot
program to study the feasibility of storing treated drinking water underground
for later use during peak demand periods, Oak Creek Water and Sewer announced
today it became the first Wisconsin utility to receive approval from the DNR to
employ the storage method known as aquifer storage recovery (ASR) as part of
their permanent system.
“This
technology allows Oak Creek to pump normal treated drinking water underground
into the aquifer during low-usage winter months and then recover that water
during periods of high-flow summer months,” said Mike
Sullivan, utility engineer.
Like many Wisconsin
communities, Oak Creek
faces increased demands for water during the summers. This approach allows
ratepayers to avoid large expenditures for treatment plant and storage
expansions, which otherwise would be needed to meet peak demands.
“The DNR approval allows us to avoid a costly projected expansion of
our treatment plant as early as 2008,” said Steve Yttri, utility general
manager. “Ratepayers will save an estimated $8 million in infrastructure
improvement costs as we ultimately expand lower cost underground storage to 150
million gallons.”
Oak Creek
began an ASR pilot program in 1999. During the five-year program, the utility
has pumped millions of gallons of treated water into a reconstructed
1,800-foot-deep well. After the DNR was convinced the water was safe and met
health standards for consumers, the utility was allowed to distribute the water
several times through its water system during the pilot program. ASR is
currently used in 13 other states.
“Consumers did not report changes in water quality to the utility when
we distributed water stored underground,” Yttri said. “When you consider that
our utility produces some of the highest quality water in the nation, that’s a
good indication that aquifer storage recovery works.”
The
Oak Creek Water and
Sewer Utility produces some of the highest quality drinking water in the
nation. Always seeking new ways to improve, utility employees conduct thousands
of water quality tests annually to ensure the cleanest, safest drinking water
possible flows to customers. In fact, the utility tests nearly three times more
than the 970 quality controls required by government regulations. The utility
is proud to announce its water meets and exceeds all federal and state drinking
water health standards.
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