Services: Replacement Wells

Godfrey Brook Water Treatment Plant

Today’s volume and demand for daily water use may have changed since the town incorporated in 1881, but one goal remains constant to this day: safe water.

Team T&H continues to deliver safe, potable water through engineering excellence of precision, collaboration, feedback, and commitment between all team members, water department operators, and project managers. The Godfrey Brook WTP project scope involves construction administration and resident project representative services. Process elements of the project include biological iron and manganese pressure filters, a packed tower aerator, and chemical addition for the purpose of pH adjustment, corrosion control, and disinfection.  The new WTP includes a clearwell to achieve 4-Log inactivation of viruses prior to the distribution system. The WTP also includes HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and advanced SCADA systems for monitoring and control of the new treatment plant and the wells. Site work includes new raw and finished water mains, stormwater controls in the form of a sub-grade stormwater infiltration system, and residuals storage tanks for solids handling after backwashing the biological filters, and electrical including a new electrical standby generator. The project also includes site upgrades to the wells and access road, including an RCP culvert replacement to improve drainage of Godfrey Brook (a tributary stream into the Charles River), submersible well pumps and motors for the seven wells, and a precast concrete raw water metering vault for flow control. Currently, the biological filters are in the acclimation phase, the final step prior to a performance test to confirm effectiveness of removing iron and manganese.


Located to the left of the Godfrey Brook WTP’s exterior stands a packed tower aerator (shown above). The tower aerator removes carbon dioxide to increase pH in a more cost effective manner than chemical addition, and adds dissolved oxygen before the biological manganese filters, which is critical to biological filtration.

Biological manganese filters (above) come after the packed tower aerator for efficient removal of manganese. Biological iron filter is upstream of the packed tower to optimize the performance of all downstream processes.

The project included a culvert reconstruction to replace a damaged pipe. Culverts are trench-like constructs designed to allow free-flowing water beneath a road or railway, whether stormwater or a stream. Pictured is the finished culvert over Godfrey Brook, a tributary to the Charles River. 

T&H team members Matt O’Dowd, Juliette Burcham, Mitch Garon, and Barry Pociask review the electrical connection for the disconnect of the submersible well pump for well 1A. The Godfrey Brook Wellfield features seven total gravel packed wells: five rehabilitated and two newly installed.

The newly installed chemical feed system includes skid-mounted chemical metering pumps used for potassium hydroxide; here, chemical addition occurs for pH adjustment, along with the addition of sodium hypochlorite for disinfection and zinc orthophosphate for corrosion control prior to entering the water distribution system. 

Replacement Wells, Upton, MA

upton ma well replacement

Tata & Howard provided engineering services to the Town of Upton to address a water supply deficit identified in the 1998 Water Distribution System Study and the 2011 Water Master Plan and Capital Efficiency Plan™, both conducted by Tata & Howard. The multi-faceted approach was recommended to mitigate the supply deficit included maximizing their existing supply sources and the development of a new wellfield.

The original Glen Avenue Wellfield consists of two groups of 12 2½-inch diameter tubular wells, pumped through an 8-inch diameter, cast iron main. The original pumping capacity of the Glen Avenue Wellfield is approximately 0.316 million gallons per day (mgd). Recently, the yield of the Glen Avenue Wellfield has declined to approximately 0.08 mgd during the summer months. Due to the decreased yield, the Town did not have adequate supply to meet existing water demands.  Replacement wells were recommended by Tata & Howard to regain the permitted capacity of the source.

The project consisted of a test well investigation program to evaluate the feasibility of replacement wells and preliminary permitting with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). Once the test well program indicated that three 16” x 10”  gravel packed wells could replace the yield of the existing tubular wellfield, Tata & Howard met with MassDEP to approve the concept prior to proceeding with the pump test proposal submittal.

The scope of services included conductance of a 48 hour pump test as required by MassDEP, permitting with the MassDEP, Army Corps of Engineers, the Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program and the Upton Conservation Commission. Work also included design of well screens, submersible wells pumps, pitless adapters, variable frequency drives (VFDs), transducers in each well and water main to connect the new wellfield to the existing pump station and electrical and signal wiring. The wellfield was metered with one single meter within the pump station. Tata & Howard provided construction administration services and post construction administration services for the project.

Replacement Wells, Ayer, MA

Grove Pond Replacement Wells No. 1 and No. 2
Grove Pond Well No. 3
Spectacle Pond Replacement Wells No. 1 and No. 2
Department of Public Works, Ayer, Massachusetts

Ayer Grove Pond well replacementTata & Howard has been providing engineering services to the Town of Ayer for their water supply sources.  Our work has included permitting and design of replacement wells at the Grove Pond Well site, development of a new source at the Grove Pond site, and replacement wells at the Spectacle Pond Well site.  Due to elevated concentrations of iron and manganese at both sites, the intent of the replacement well program was to regain lost capacity of the existing sources and reduce the frequency of rehabilitation of the existing sources.  All the replacement wells with the exception the replacement wells at Spectacle Pond Well No. 2 were single gravel packed replacement wells.  Due to Zone I ownership issues, Spectacle Pond Well No. 2 is being replaced with three 16” x 10” gravel packed wells in a wellfield configuration.  Each replacement well project initiated with test well exploratory programs to identify the potential location, yield, and water quality.    With the Spectacle Pond Well No. 2 Replacement Well, we met with MassDEP to discuss the concept, duration of the pump test, and monitoring requirements prior to submittal of the pump test proposal.

Our scope of services for the replacement well and new source projects included test well exploration programs, permitting with the Ayer Conservation Commission and Nature Heritage and Endangered Species Program, MassDevelopment for the Grove Pond Wells, Water Management Act (WMA) program for the third well at Grove Pond, conductance of pump tests, preparation of pump tests reports in accordance with MassDEP requirements, design of the necessary infrastructure and production wells to connect the existing wells to the influent main into the existing respective water treatment facilities, construction and post construction services.

Satellite and Replacement Wells, Shrewsbury, MA

Shrewsbury Replacement Wells

Tata & Howard has been providing engineering services to the Town of Shrewsbury for their water supply sources. Our work has included permitting and design of satellite and replacement wells at the Home Farm Wells No. 6-2 and No. 6-4 and the Lambert Replacement Well No. 3-1. The intent of the project was to regain lost capacity of the existing sources.

The approved withdrawal rate from Lambert Well No. 3-1 is 0.75 mgd. The permitted withdrawal cannot be attained because the existing well screen has failed. Installation of an 18” x 12” gravel packed replacement well removed the threat of problems associated with the collapsed screen.

The approved withdrawal rate from Home Farm Well No. 6-2 is 3.02 mgd.   Despite rehabilitation efforts, the capacity of Well No. 6-2 has significantly decreased. An 18” x 12” gravel packed replacement well was constructed and permitted to replace a portion of the flows from the existing Well No. 6-2 to meet the demands of the system and to better manage their sources.  By dividing the approved withdrawal rate of Well No. 6-2 between the existing well and the replacement well, the water velocities will decrease and the efficiency of the wells will increase.

Both replacement well projects required permitting with the Shrewsbury Conservation Commission and MassDEP, preparation of bid documents for the installation of gravel packed production wells and pump test, 24 hour pump test with water quality analysis, preparation of pump test reports, design of necessary infrastructure including submersible pumps, variable frequency drives (VFDs) and piping to connect to the existing water treatment facility.

Water Supply Upgrades, Canaan, VT

Water Supply Upgrades

Canaan Fire Districts (FD) #1 and #2, Canaan, VT

canaan vt river

Tata & Howard provided engineering services associated with water supply upgrades for Canaan FD #1 & #2. These two districts are located about 1.5 miles apart, meet monthly, and have one operator. For FD#2, located in Beecher Falls, VT, Tata & Howard completed construction of a new  concrete storage tank, well upgrades, and  distribution system improvements including significant replacement of pipe. Tata & Howard was able to secure a 75% grant for the project which resulted in little impact to their water rates.

Fire District #2

FD#2 has 100 customers. The issues included inadequate system pressures, inadequate storage tank, inadequate disinfection system, and leaky pipes.

Tata & Howard developed solutions that included the following:

  • A new storage tank at an elevation that would eliminate all pressure issues
  • Distribution piping replacement and addition of hydrants of flushing and fire protection
  • Reduction in water losses allowing for reduced well pump size, resulting in lower annual power and chemical costs

Fire District #1 

FD#1 has two sources of supply. One is a large spring system located in Canada which consists of  ten springs connected together, all under the influence of surface water and the other is a high yielding well source in the town limits. The issues are inadequate spring source construction and ability to maintain, low system pressures across the State line (they provide water service to West Stewartstown, NH), inadequate flushing capabilities, inadequate distribution piping, high iron and manganese levels in well source, and inadequate storage tank.

The solutions include the following:

  • Elimination of the spring sources due to Canadian border issues and high cost for upgrading the springs and connection piping
  • Installation of filtration system to meet the standards for FE and MN
  • Construction of new larger water storage tank
  • Development of a second emergency supply
  • Improvements to distribution piping

In addition, we completed a feasibility study.