Firm examines water system

By Ali Bronsdon / Leader Staff

ST. IGNATIUS — The St. Ignatius town council met last Tuesday night to hear and discuss a Water System Preliminary Report presented by Fred Phillips of Great West Engineering, the same Helena-based firm called upon in 2003 to complete the town's Wastewater PER.

This report evaluated the adequacy of the town's existing and proposed water systems in four components — system demand, supply, storage and distribution.

Phillips offered several funding scenarios to the council, all of which included obtaining grant and loan funding from a variety of state and national organizations. If the town decides to follow through with all proposed aspects of the project, residents could see an increase in the cost of their water bill from approximately $16 per month to between $30 and $40 per month over the next few years.

Debate carried on well after the presentation concluded, as council members were reluctant to agree to such a large endeavor, especially after the recent wastewater project.

Fire Chief and Public Works Director Ray Frey suggested the town break the project into two phases; the first would begin in 2010 and include distribution upgrades and a new well. The second phase would involve building a new storage tank and possibly service meter replacement.

Supply

According to Montana Department of Environmental Quality standards, a town's water system of supply, storage and distribution must be able to meet the maximum daily demand with its largest source out of service.

St. Ignatius' source capacity is inadequate under its present situation and will only provide about half of what is required for the projected 2030 community, estimated at a population of 1,203. GWE concluded that the town needs an additional water well, preferably north of Mission Creek. Both current wells are south of the creek, leaving the town's primary users north of the creek vulnerable if anything were to happen to the connecting pipes.

According to GWE, the estimated cost of a new well in the Mission Valley Glacial Aquifer north of Mission Creek is $246,900. Additionally, the well would have an estimated annual operation and maintenance cost of $5,000.

Phillips also recommended the construction of a $64,800 12-foot by 16-foot pump house for one of the town's current wells. This pump house would provide the town's water operators with a much safer and more secure way to manage the well. The existing set-up requires operators to climb deep into the well on ladders six to seven times a year. The new pump house would raise all controls to the surface where they can be easily accessed and adjusted.

Fire

The Insurance Services Office defines the criteria used in the evaluation of a community's fire defenses. It recommends the amount of water required to fight a fire in an individual, non-sprinklered building based on the structure's size, fire flow in gallons per minute, type of construction, occupancy and communication between buildings. This information is then used to establish premiums for fire insurance-generally offering lower premiums in communities with better fire protection.

Current MDEQ requirements state a municipal's minimum allowable water storage must be equal to the average daily demand for a 24-hour period plus meet the fire flow demand.

GWE analysis concluded that while St. Ignatius does have sufficient storage to meet current domestic and residential fire protection needs, it does not have enough storage capacity to meet the current needs for business areas or for the town's critical facilities, such as the schools and some churches. Additionally, the town will not be able to provide for the domestic demands or residential fire flow of the estimated 2030 population.

For example, if the high school were to flare up, firefighters would have just one hour to fight the flames before depleting the existing tank. A 500,000-gallon storage tank, although still less volume than the ISO standard for a building like the high school, would provide sufficient storage for all other structures in town as well as lengthen the amount time officials have to fight fires by two to three hours. GWE presented the council with four options, but ultimately recommended the least expensive and most cost-effective option, an on-grade steel tank. Capital construction costs of the tank were estimated at $1,990,170.

Distribution

One of the more straightforward sections discussed on Tuesday night was the distribution system improvements. The town's distribution system was replaced in the '80s with durable six-, eight- and 10-inch PVC piping. Phillips recommended upgrades to a few outer-lying areas and replacement of the older, four-inch steel piping along Mountain View Drive.

Frey said the steel pipes along Mountain View Drive are old, worn out and could burst any day. Recommended distribution system improvements tallied roughly $200,000.