6.2. ERMUSR 05-11-2004 Elk River
Municipal Utilities
13069 Orono Parkway phone: 763.441.2020
Elk River, MN 55330 Fax:763.441.8099
April 28, 2004
To: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission
Jerry Takle
James Tralle
John Dietz
From: Bryan Adams
Subject: Aquifer Storage and Recovery
Attached is a proposal for Engineering Services for phase 1 A Aquifer Storage and
Recovery Testing Plan and Permitting. Correspondence describes in detail the entire
program and range of possible costs.
The concept behind Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is to treat water during off
peak (Oct. thru March) when we have treatment capacity and inject it back into the
aquifer(storage). During periods of high demand (summer months), this treated water
can be pulled back out of the aquifer (recovery), re-chlorinated and pumped into the
distribution system. The benefit is not building a water treatment facility at an
approximate cost of$1,000,000 for a 1000 gpm plant. The downside is we must pump
this water twice and chlorinate it twice at an additional cost of approximately
$140/million gallons or $9,800 for 7,000,000 gallons/year. Additional $9,800/year to
save a $1,000,000 plant investment is a substantial savings.
The other risk is this technology has been done in other states but never in Minnesota. It
could ultimately cost us $250,000 in testing and engineering fees to see if this technology
will work. It does make sense to phase into this project. If started in 2004, it would be a
non budget expense. Is this type of project of interest to this commission?
Howarc R. Green Company
March 17, 2004
File: 821480J
Mr. Bryan Adams
Elk River Municipal Utilities
322 King Street
Elk River, MN 55330
RE: PROPOSAL FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES
AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY
Dear Bryan:
We propose to provide analysis and regulatory approval assistance for utilizing the aquifer
storage and recovery (ASR) process per the attached scope of services dated March 17, 2004.
Please remember that the ASR analysis and approval process is a multi-step process involving
the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA), the
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA). Per your request, we have reduced the scope of services to the bare
minimum to provide a portion of the typical Phase I analysis. Additional work will be required to
provide the remaining effort of the Phase I analysis and the Phase II work that is typically
required to gain regulatory approval for the process.
We will work with MDH to have them perform as many of the chemical analyses as they can,
thereby reducing the cost.
The effort described in the scope of services totals to $45,000
Sincerely,
Howard Green Company
Chris Catlin, P.E.
Project Manager
Cc: Terry Maurer
Ltr-012201-Ada ms-p roposa I.d oc
2550 University Avenue West • Suite 400N • St. Paul. MN 55114 • 651/644-4389 fax 651/644-9446 toll free 888/368-4389
MARCH 17,2004
Phase IA Scope of Services
Aquifer Storage and Recovery Testing Plan and Permitting
Elk River Municipal Utilities
Introduction
Elk River Minnesota is a rapidly growing community with increasing potable water
demands. Their current system consists of 6 operating wells, with individual iron and
manganese removal pressure filters on each well. An additional well, Well No. 8 was
recently constructed without a pressure filter. The well will be used as a blending well to
provide flows during peak demands. The flows from Well No. 8 will be blended at a
calculated pumping rate with the total treated flow stream to provide a final quality of
potable water that meets all required drinking water standards, and is of an acceptable
aesthetic quality for peak demand periods.
The work described in this document is to evaluate the feasibility of using Well No. 8 in an
Aquifer Storage and Recovery(ASR) capacity, as well as in a blending capacity. In an ASR
capacity, Well No. 8 would be recharged with treated potable water during the low demand
months. During the peak demand months, the water from Well No. 8 could then be
recovered and returned to the water system with only disinfection treatment. In an ASR
capacity, Well No. 8 could be pumped at a higher rate than feasible when pumping in a
blending application. This application could provide Elk River with a rate of production from
the well equal to, or greater than, a well equipped with pressure filtration, at a potentially
lower cost.
Howard R. Green has provided Elk River with engineering design, construction, and
startup/testing services for Well No. 8. Recharge tubes and modifications to the wellhead
piping were included in the design to facilitate conversion to ASR operations.
This scope of work provides CH2M HILL technical support and consulting to Howard R.
Green Company during the implementation of ASR testing and operations using Well No. 8.
The work is proposed to be conducted by CH2M HILL under subcontract to Howard R.
Green Company.
Page 1 of 1
MARCH 17,2004
Phase IA Scope of Services
1. Project Management and Setup
This task includes efforts to prepare project instructions, open project numbers and accounts,
and prepare invoices for the 6-month project duration. Staff management and scheduling
associated with the following scope of work are also project management activities.
2. Develop Testing Plan
HRG/CH2M HILL will develop an ASR pilot testing plan for Well No. 8. Pilot testing will
entail baseline pumping tests, several cycles of recharge(injection), storage, and recovery
pumping using Well No. 8. Potable water from the Elk River Municipal Utilities (ERMU)
distribution system will be used for recharge. One objective of the pilot testing will be to
evaluate the hydraulic response of the Mt. Simon-Hinckley aquifer to recharge and recovery
pumping. Although the December 9, 2003 letter from the MDH suggests that monitoring
wells may be required, the draft plan will be prepared describing a testing approach that does
not include monitoring wells; or, an approach that will allow use of the existing test hole as a
monitoring well. Costs associated with siting, designing, drilling, and testing of a monitoring
well are not included in this scope of work. A second objective of the pilot testing is to
demonstrate the feasibility of ASR using the Mt. Simon-Hinckley aquifer by thoroughly
evaluating the water chemistry' during a series of cycle tests. CH2M HILL will perform a
preliminary geochemical evaluation of native groundwater chemistry, potable recharge water
chemistry, and Mt. Simon-Hinckley mineralogy to develop the ASR testing plan. The testing
plan will include detailed sampling tables, parameter lists, and analytical methods, for the
recharge water and recovered water. Multiple recovery water samples will be collected as
the stored water is recovered to determine the percentage of the potable water that can be
recovered without additional treatment beyond the addition of disinfectant residual. Given
that treated water from other Mt. Simon-Hinckley aquifer wells will be used for recharge,
adverse reactions during storage are not anticipated due to the geochemical similarity of the
recharge water and native groundwater.
CH2M HILL and HRG will develop the Testing Plan, and incorporate ERMU comments into
the draft plan and submit the draft final Testing Plan to the regulatory agencies for approval.
Agency comments will be incorporated into the final plan. Additional scope and fee will be
required if monitoring wells or groundwater modeling are necessary before the agencies will
approve the testing plan.
Page 2 of 2
•
MARCH 17,2004
3. Permitting Support
CH2M HILL and HRG met with the Minnesota regulatory agencies to begin establishing the
permitting requirements for ASR in Minnesota. On December 9, 2003, the MDH sent a letter
to HRG summarizing the possible regulatory requirements for using Well No. 8 as an ASR
well. Several agencies will be involved:
Minnesota Department of Health is responsible for regulating source water protection,
recovered water quality, and a variance from their Well Management Section may be needed
for both the pilot test, and operational use.
Department of Natural Resources is responsible for water appropriations permits. A
modification will be required to amend the current ERMU permit to allow for use of the ASR
well.
Pollution Control Agency will require a variance to allow for injection of the potable water.
US EPA, Region V is responsible for the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program,
which regulates all types of injection wells.
There is still considerable uncertainty on the degree of regulatory interaction and negotiation
that may be involved to acquire the first ASR testing or operational permit in the State of
Minnesota. Thus, the scope of this task is limited to 24 hours of engineering time to
communicate and correspond with the various agencies to secure their approval to conduct
limited ASR testing on Well No. 8. The above limitation includes one meeting with the
agencies to discuss the proposed testing plan. The scope does not include developing a 3-
dimensional groundwater model of the ASR test site, which may be required by MDH for
Source Water Protection purposes.
Future Phases
Implementation of the approved testing plan is necessary to confirm the technical feasibility
of ASR for Elk River Municipal Utilities. Pilot testing will likely involve 3 cycles of
recharge and recovery over a 9 to 12 month period. The exact duration, laboratory
requirements, and level of effort on the part of CH2M HILL, HRG, or ERMU staff cannot be
determined until after the testing plan is accepted by the regulatory agencies. However, the
typical cost of Phase I(A and B) pilot testing is typically between $100,000 and $250,000.
The cost of Phase II testing is dependent on whether additional construction work is needed
to allow for recharge operations, the number of testing cycles, laboratory analyses, and
reporting requirements. Upon completion of a successful pilot testing program (Phase IA
and B, and Phase II), ERMU 'ill have one full-scale operational ASR well permitted for
subsequent operational use.
Page 3 of 3
MARCH 17,2004
Assumptions
1. Permitting support will include up to 24 hours of office support by a qualified ASR
engineer or hydrogeologist. One (1) day-long meeting associated with permitting
support is included in the estimated budget, and will be attended by one qualified
ASR engineer or hydrogeologist.
2. Ten (10) copies of the draft testing plan will be provided to HRG for distribution the
ERMU and the various regulatory reviewers. Twenty(20) copies of the final testing
plan will be produced and provided to HRG for distribution.
3. Chris Catlin, P.E., Howard R. Green, will stamp any documents as the professional
engineer in charge, if required by the regulatory agencies.
4. The project duration will not exceed 6 months from notice to proceed.
5. The budget does not include consideration of a monitoring well for the pilot testing
• plan
6. The budget does not include groundwater modeling
7. The cost of Future Phases of work is not included
8. Costs of water quality testing will be paid separately by ERMU, and are not included
in the project cost. We will attempt to have MDH perform as many of the tests as
possible, thereby reducing total project cost.
Budget
Compensation for the proposed services will be made based on labor hours at hourly rates
plus expenses. The estimated cost is $45,000
Page 4 of 4
MAY. 04 '2004 14:33 651 644 9446 H R GREEN CO #6344 P. 002/004
PP://
Howard R. Green Company
May 4, 2004
Re: 821480J
Mr. Bryan Adams
Elk River Municipal Utilities
13065 Orono Parkway
Elk River, MN 55330
RE: PROPOSAL FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES
AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY
Dear Bryan:
We propose to provide analysis and regulatory approval assistance for utilizing the aquifer
storage and recovery (ASS) process per the attached scope of services dated March 17, 2004.
This letter serves to provide a brief background of the ASR process and summarizes the work
effort that we have proposed in our Phase 1A Scope of Services, Aquifer Storage and Recovery
Testing Plan and Permitting along with an outline of future work necessary to complete the
analysis and approval process,
Background
ASR is a process of storing filtered water underground for long periods of time for later use. Its
application in Elk River would be to store excess filtered water during fall, winter and spring for
use during summer peak demands. In this way, the existing treatment facilities are utilized
more efficiently year-round, and additional treatment plant construction can be delayed or
eliminated.
ASR has been used in other states for several years. The process Is most common in Florida
and California, where is has been used for over 20 years. There are two installations in Iowa
that have been in use for over 5 years. The process has not yet been used in Minnesota.
Gaining approval for using the ASR process involves several steps and coordination and
approvals from several agencies. The proposal we have provided begins these steps and
agency approvals. ovidd
Our Proposal
The proposal details a preliminary assessment of the ASR process, its suitability for Elk River,
and forming a testing plan to be used to gain regulatory agency approval to begin pilot scale
testing of Well #8. The services we are proposing include:
1. Perform a brief desktop analysis of the suitability of the ASR process for Elk River
using the Mt. Simon aquifer
a. Analyze geochemistry of aquifer
opeo.15827460J ERMIJ No,13 Valve Sta1ASRVir-05 4 04-Adams-proposal.doc
2650 University Avenue West • Suite 400N • St. Paul, MN 55114 • 651/644-4389 fax 651/644.9446 toll free 868/368.4389
MAY.04 '2004 14 :35 651 644 9446 H R GREEN CO #6344 P.003/004
b. Analyze native groundwater and potable water recharge chemistry
c. Determine 1 order estimate of quantity of water to be stored and recovered
2. Develop a testing plan to be used for Well#8.
3. Review testing plan with regulators (Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, United
States Environmental Protection Agency),
4. Modify testing plan as appropriate, based on agency comments
5. Submit final testing plan to agencies for approval
6. Provide initial permitting support
a. Provide 24 hours of effort towards gaining permit approval
b. Target use of Well #8 as a pilot scale test of the ASR process
The Intention of the Phase 1A work is to provide a preliminary assessment of the suitability of
the ASR process and achieve agency approval to use Well#8 for pilot scale testing of the
process.
The effort described in the scope of services totals to $45,000
• Additional steps will be necessary in the future, as described below.
Future Steps
The Phase 1B work will provide additional analysis determining in more detail the suitability of
the Mt. Simon aquifer for the ASR process. The proposed services for Phase 16 include the
following:
1. Computer modeling of the aquifer's response to the ASR process
2. Additional geochemical analysis
3. Final permitting required for pilot scale testing
4. Pilot scale testing using Well #8
5. Cost analysis of ASR versus alternative methods of water supply
Costs of the Phase 18 work are estimated to be $80,000 to $100,000, depending on whether or
not the agencies require a monitoring/test well to be drilled.
Phase 2 work will include final permitting work associated with the production ASR well and field
testing of an existing well. The estimated engineering cost for this phase is $125,000, not
Including design of the support systems that may be required (electrical, chemical feed, piping).
Much of the support system work would not be required If an existing well was converted to
ASR. The support system work required for a new ASR well is almost exactly the same as
would be required for a new traditional production well.
The Phase 2 work Is completed with one operational and permitted ASR production well.
Benefits
As we have previously discussed, the benefits of the ASR process are significant:
1. Ability to store filtered water underground to meet peak summer-time demands
2. Avoiding/delaying construction of additional treatment plants
3. Providing high quality water even during peak demands
4. Utilizing existing treatment plants more fully during fall, winter and spring seasons.
5. Providing additional system redundancy created by storing large quantities of treated
water underground
OMROJ1821480J ERMIJ No 8 1r c.Gre Q pany
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MAY.04 '2004 14:36 651 644 9446 H R GREEN CO #6344 P. 004/004
Also as previously discussed, this process provides large savings in capital expenditures by
avoiding/reducing costs associated with treatment plant construction and/or expansions. For
approximately $250,000 of ASR analysis and permitting, the utility could save approximately
$1,000,000 of treatment plant construction cost($750,000 of savings). Future ASR wells would
be permitted al a substantially reduced cost, thereby increasing savings on future ASR wells in
lieu of additional treatment plants. In addition, operations and maintenance costs would be
reduced, as ASR wells will require less effort to operate and maintain than would treatment
plant equipment.
We recommend proceeding with this preliminary ASR work in order for the utility to realize the
benefits of the process as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Howard R. Green Company R.
Chris Catlin, P.F_.
Project Manager
Cc: Terry Maurer
OaPROJ1821480J ERMU No.B+IekyQraFdRpC.:fl al t"laj"1y