Water System Operations Plan, Falmouth, MA

Falmouth MA lighthouse

Tata & Howard, Inc. prepared a Water System Operations Plan for the Falmouth water system.  As part of the Settlement Agreement between the Town of Falmouth and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Town agreed to complete a Water System Operations Plan.  The purpose of the plan was to evaluate seasonal demands, current source and storage tank operations and identify system and operational changes necessary to address distribution areas with low chlorine residuals.

The Town of Falmouth’s water distribution system consists of approximately 400 miles of water mains of various materials ranging in size from six to 24 inches in diameter.  The Town has five active water supply sources including both groundwater and a currently unfiltered surface supply. Each source is treated with sodium hypochlorite for disinfection with the exception of Long Pond, which includes disinfection with chlorine gas.  Falmouth’s water distribution system includes four water storage tanks and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to run and monitor operations.

The Falmouth Water Department faced a number of challenges, including the following:

  • Maintaining regulatory compliance
  • Meeting water demands
  • Peak summer demands could only be met with Long Pond surface supply
  • Long Pond is an unfiltered surface water supply
  • Constant struggle to maintain treatment compliance and water quality
  • Seasonal impacts from turnover or algae growth
  • Lack of treatment to address taste, odor, and color can require severe curtailment in use of the supply
  • Excessive source chlorine residuals needed to maintain distribution system residual chlorine concentrations, combined with source water organics results in elevated disinfection by-products (DBP – Total Trihalomethanes and Haloacetic Acids) which are regulated compounds

The study reviewed the challenges above and recommended changes to systems operations procedures to improve water quality.  We used a hydraulic model to determine water age and look at its impacts on water quality.  The plan was submitted and approved by Mass DEP.

Additionally, Tata & Howard completed the design of a 3.6 mgd treatment facility which utilizes air stripping and pressure filtration technology for the removal of iron, manganese and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The facility includes an air stripping tower, three greensand filtration units, horizontal carbon contactors, chemical storage and feed facilities, gravel pack supply well, finished water storage, and backwash holding tanks.



 


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