RYE TOWN HALL
The town of Rye invited Colorado Rural Water Association representatives Greg Colter and Mallory Hiss to address the water issues of Rye during the town sponsored festivities on August 6. Mr. Colter started the meeting by reporting the Town has made improvements to the drinking water system in 2009, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2021, yet meeting state regulations of organics in the treated water continues to be a challenge.
Surface water can be more polluted than well water and therefore requires more inspections and reporting to counter turbidity, organics and possible natural and human contaminants that could enter the source water.
The current Rye system captures water flowing in Greenhorn Creek as ‘raw water’. This water flows through five separate tanks used to slow the water flow and settle sediment out of water. This ‘cleaner’ water travels through a pipeline to the water treatment plant before being released into the distribution system to flow to individual taps.
Rye has a Pall Aris microfiltration system to filter the water. Micro-filtration (MF) is a pressure-driven separation process, which is widely used in concentrating, purifying or separating macromolecules, colloids and suspended particles from solution. The 0.22-micron filters remove turbidity and bacteria. However the organics are dissolved in the water and can not be filtered out. The town contracted an engineer that designed an additional filtering system which will include a ‘resin’ filter followed by a granulated carbon filter which when operating in peak condition should remove 90% of the troublesome organics. Rye is waiting for the needed parts to install these filters at the water plant.
The last step in the treatment process is to add chlorine to the water. This ‘disinfects’ the water, killing anything that remains alive, to make it safe for drinking. The main problem with having remaining dissolved organics in the water is that the organics combine with the chlorine and create carcinogenic (cancer- causing) disinfection byproducts, (TTHM and HAA5).
A SCADA computer program operates with sensors to monitor water pressure and flow, NTUs, and chlorine levels. It also tracks and detects trends within the water filtration system. Itoperates 24/7, sends a report to and can call the operator if the program detects a problem. The operator can also program in water quality parameters, within which the program will allow the system to operate.
An Operator in Responsible Charge (ORC) is required by all water systems to monitor, regulate, operate and make reports for the system. Since Rye’s ORC, John VanOrt passed away; the town has contracted Richard Hopp as the ORC. It will take about a year of experience and certification for a novice to be qualified to run Rye’s water treatment facility and a minimum of four years for an operator to become a level ‘A’ ORC.
The state updates each water system monitoring data every Thursday. An ORC is needed to test, by sampling, the ‘raw water’ as it enters the treatment plant and then after it is treated. Chlorine and PH balances are tested twice a day. Any health related ‘events’ require notification within 24 hours to all tap owners. By-product ‘event’ notification is done once a year; one high number indicates a ‘failure’ for the entire year. The number of by-products is generally higher during the summer months.
In 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency began to require reports on water system infrastructure, particularly that distributing drinking water from the treatment facility to homeowner taps. Rye is using GIS map technology to locate all lines, valves and other structural items. It is hoped that replacements can be made before any emergency issues occur. EPArequires water system infrastructure to be assessed and categorized so pipe replacement can be budgeted and planed for before complete failure occurs. Rye’s most current installations were in the 1970s, making it over 50-years-old.
Ms. Hiss explained the association works with small water systems defined as those serving 10,000 or fewer people. They provide training, apprenticeships and provide ‘circuit riders’ who can visit systems throughout the state to help them meet state and federal standards. They are a nonprofit and provide these services at no cost.
Their goal in meeting with citizens of Rye was to help residents understand the drinking water system improvements require a rate increase over the coming years, to meet state standards of clean drinking water for the community. With help from local volunteers, the Town of Rye can also request grant funding from the Arkansas Basin Roundtable, Rural Development, and soon the U.S. Infrastructure Bill. If you are interested in helping with water operations as the next ORC, or helping to write grant applications, please contact the Mayor or Colorado Rural Water Association.
