The filtration system for Westfield’s well 2 is seen set up within the temporary structure. (WNG file photo)
WESTFIELD – The temporary filter on Well 2 is “up and running, and supplying the water we’re needing,” said Francis Cain, assistant director of the Department of Public Works. Cain said the filter has been operating “close to a month,” after waiting to get October test results back.
Systems engineer Heather Stayton said they did a round of testing in October prior to Well 2 starting up. She said the testing showed low levels of PFAS before the water enters the filtration system; and non-detect for any PFAS mid-treatment and after treatment, the three places they test.
Stayton said they are expecting to sample again this week, and should see the results in two weeks.
Both Cain and Stayton said the demand for water is down significantly from the summer, so Well 2 is running a couple of times a day, when the tank gets to a certain level. The system is on a data program which runs it automatically. Stayton said with the wet weather in the fall, outdoor use diminished greatly from the summer. She said demand typically goes down in the winter.
Cain said putting the filter up and the temporary housing on it went fairly smoothly, with just a couple of hiccups. “You should be proud of the people who do it, and got it done,” Cain said. The job involved pouring a 30-by-30 ft., two-ft. thick concrete slab for the vessel. They also had to run piping in the well, over to the vessel, and connect it to discharge piping for the city. Cain said some of the work was done in-house, some by an outside contractor.
The temporary exterior structure housing Well 2 is seen in this December 2018 image. (WNG file photo)
Another part of the job was to bring the chemical injection, including chlorine, inside the well house underground over to the filter through heated pipes, which was done in-house. They also enclosed the entire vessel with scaffolding and tarping, a more cost effective solution; and ran 300 ft. of natural gas line to bring heat to the space so it wouldn’t freeze over the winter, Cain said.
“It runs just like any of our other sources; it’s just filtered now,” Cain said, adding, “Given the cards we were dealt, the city’s pretty lucky that we picked up on that and did what needed to be done.”
For the permanent structure on Wells 7 & 8, the concrete was poured on Friday for the footing. He said a legion of folks continue to work on the structure every day. The piping underneath the slab is all installed, and they are working on the foundation walls, which they expect to pour next week.
The construction will continue throughout the winter. Cain said because the bond was delayed, winter conditions are applied, which are more costly. “The cost and nature of the business,” he said.
Stayton said the city is currently in the design process for the permanent structure for Wells 1 and 2. She said once Wells 7 & 8 go online, the Well 2 temporary plant will go offline. She expects Wells 7 and 8 to start producing water next summer.
The East Mountain tank, which will also be paid for by the water filtration bond, is in the permitting process, and they are getting ready to bid that project sometime over the winter. “We want to bid at a time when there is good pricing and to minimize risk to the system,” Stayton said.
