Agenda - 02-03-2004-6d - Laserfiche WebLink

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OWASA AND UNC-CHAPEL HILL January 2004 PROJECT BRIEF: ` WATER REUSE FEASIBILITY STUDY Background Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (the University) plan to ,jointly develop a new water reclamation and reuse system that would provide many important benefits to the community and the environment Highly treated "reclaimed" water from OWASA's Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) would initially be used to meet some of the major water demands on the University's main campus. The water reuse system will be expandable to serve non-University customers in the future where it is practical to do so. The reclaimed water system would be financially self- supporting, and the University would pay its full and fair share of the cost of reclaimed water service. The proposed use of reclaimed water demonstrates OWASA's and the University's shared commitment to meet long-term water and sewer service needs in a more sustainable manner. OWASA and the University have partnered on a study to determine the feasibility of water reuse. Based on the findings of the Water Reclamation and Reuse Feasibility Study (Hazen and Sawyer; June 2003) and extensive follow- up pilot studies, OWASA and the University have concluded it is technically, economically, and environmentally feasible to use reclaimed water to meet many nonpotable water needs on the main campus. If developed, the planned reclaimed water system would be the largest and most diverse water reuse system in the State of North Carolina. What Are the Key Conclusions From the Study? Key findings of the reuse feasibility study are: • Effluent from OWASA's WWTP will consistently and reliably meet the State's reclaimed water standards; • With additional on-site treatment by the University, reclaimed water from OWASA will be suitable for use in the University's cooling tower and boiler operations and for irrigation and toilet flushing; • The University's on-site water treatment costs will increase by up to 50 percent if reclaimed water is used in the cooling towers and boilers; and • The development of a reclaimed water system is more cost-effective than developing the facilities needed to withdraw and use water from Jordan Lake. The high duality effluent front the Mason Fann WJVTP should no longer be viewed as rvastervater. It will be an increasingly valuable source of water for the future. What Are the Proiected Capital Costs? Initial plans include construction of a new reclaimed water pump station and storage tank at OWASA's WWTP and installation of more than two miles of new reclaimed water distribution lines from the plant up to the main campus. The initial capital cost is estimated to be about $7 million. At startup in 2007, the reclaimed water demand would be about 0.75 million gallons per, day (mgd), which is around 7 percent of OWASA's total water demands. Year 2026 demands for reclaimed water are projected to be as high as 2.8 mgd, or about 15 percent of the community's projected total water demand, Additional reclaimed water lines will need to be built to meet the projected long-term demand. What Are the Strategic Benefits of Water Reuse? Water reuse offers many important benefits to OWASA, the University, the Carrboro-Chapel Hill community, and the environment, The use of reclaimed water will: • Allow OWASA to meet non-potable water needs in a cost-effective manner, while freeing up the community's valuable drinking water supply and treatment capacities to meet essential needs; • Lower risk for all customers during water shortages caused by future droughts; • Optimize use of locally-controlled renewable resources; • Defer or eliminate certain long-tern capital improvements due to reduced demand for potable water; • Defer or eliminate the need to develop costly facilities necessary to obtain water from Jordan Lake; and • Reduce the discharge of pollutants to streams. What Are the Next Steps? OWASA and the University are working to develop a Letter of Understanding that sets forth the guiding principles and general framework for developing, operating, and financing the proposed water reuse system. The goal is to have the system operational on or before fuly 1, 2007. Extensive engineering services will be required to design and manage the construction of the reclaimed water system and then to implement it. Due to the high capital costs, OWASA and the University are seeking supplemental Federal and State grant funds for the project. To achieve major savings in the capital costs of the reclaimed water system, the University is now designing and making arrangements to install reclaimed water lines concurrent with ongoing campus construction projects,