The Town of Cusick Water
System
P.O. Box 263
Cusick, Washington - 99119
Office -
(509) 445-1718
Water Plant - (509) 445-1717
Water Treatment Operator - Water Distribution Manager
Wastewater
Treatment Operator
Bruce M. Herder - (509) 445-1717
Email - [email protected]
Town Clerk - Billing
Charlotte Yergens - (509) 445-1718
Email - [email protected]
Hello!
Welcome
to the Town of Cusick's Water System website!
We serve the Town of Cusick,
Usk and the Kalispel Indian Reservation in the State of Washington. This website
has been created in hopes of offering you some insight as to the workings and
operation of The Town of Cusick's water system, answer any questions you might
have (Frequenty Asked Questions -
FAQ's) and to help you better understand what you, and we, as a
community can do to help keep our water quality in top
condition.
Where does our water come
from, where does it go and what happens to it in
between?
Our water comes from the Pend Oreille River. This river runs from Lake
Pend Oreille in Idaho, into Washington state and then north to the Canadian
border.
Did you know that this is the only river west of the
Mississippi that runs south to north?
The source of this water is called
"Surface Water". While generally very clean, this source of water is exposed to
certain types of contaminants that other sources (Such as wells) are not exposed
to. Therefore, it is critical and required that 'surface water' goes through a
more stringent filtering and disinfection process.
Pend Oreille River - Cusick, Washington
Our water is gravity fed into a large wet well, where it is stored until
the filtration plant is activated to produce water. This well has two caisson
pumps to feed the filtration plant. Although they are adjusted to feed 350
gallons per minute, they are capable of pumping at a much higher volume.
The
water then goes through the filtering and disinfection process.
Before the
actual filtration process, the water is treated with chlorine for disinfection
and treated with a liquid polymer and/or alum to aid in the filtration process.
xxx 
Chlorine injection systemxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Polymer injection system
Our filtration system consists of two Roberts Rapid Sand Filters. After the
water has been treated with chlorine and polymer or alum, it is processed through these
filters. First it goes through a 'roughing filter'. This consists of varying
size of gravel/rock, going from large to small. The water is pumped up through
the bottom of the filter and spills over the top into the second stage. The
first stage removes all but the very finest particulates. The second stage is
called the 'polishing filter'. Here is where the very finest of particulates is
removed. This filter consists of a bed of silica sand with a layer of anthracite
on top. (Anthracite is like the charcol in an aquarium filter but does not
remove the chlorine).
Filter number one is one the left... Number two on the
right. The smaller section of the filters you see in the foreground are the
'roughing' filters. The larger sections are the 'polishing'
filters.
Of course these filters need to be cleaned on a daily basis....
Sometimes more. This is through a process called 'backflushing'. On the
'roughing' filters, this is a combination of blowing back large volumes of air
and water up through the bottom of the filters to dislodge the dirt, where it is
flushed and washed away into the backwash ponds.
With the 'polishing'
filters, it is a matter of stirring up the anthracite with the aggitator bar and
pumping water up through the filter to dislodge and wash away any contaminants.
This is also flushed away into the backwash ponds.
xxxxxxxxBackwashing the
'roughing' filter.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Looking into the 'polishing' filter.. Anthracite layer and aggitator
bar.
Backwash and Aggitator pump xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxBreaker
panel
After the water has been through the filtration system, it is stored in the
'clearwell'. This is located directly below the filters and has a 40,000 gallon
storage capacity. When the system calls for water to be produced, it is pumped
from the clearwell by one of two distribution pumps. These pumps are adjusted to
pump about 350 gallons per minute, but are capable of much more in case of
emergency. From there, the water is pumped into the system and storage tank. Our
storage tank has a 400,000 gallon capacity. The design of the tank also is to
not only store water, but to keep an even and constant pressure over the entire
system.
Distribution pumps xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Storage tank
Now, all this doesn't happen all by itself.... There is much 'human' work
involved as well as making sure the computer components and intrument components
are fuctioning properly. Much of the operation is controlled by computer which
insures proper plant operation and that in turn assures you that you are getting
the best water possible.
Control Panel xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Instrument
Panel
The water is constantly monitored for turbidity, (clarity of water) chlorine
feed, chlorine residual, polymer and/or alum feed, filter bed condition, water
levels and water pressure. If any of these things are out of acceptable ranges,
the water plant is completely shut down until the problem is
corrected.
Besides the computer aspect of it all, we have a laboratory where
the water is tested in several ways every single day. This is done to make sure
that the water quality is within state and federal requirements and also to make
sure the instruments are calibrated and functioning properly. Daily tests
include Chlorine residual, turbidity, temperature and pH. There are many, many
other tests performed throughout the year that are performed by an independent
lab in Spokane.
Labratory
FAQ's
(Frequenty Asked
Questions)
Why does my water pressure seem low?
I have a leak. Who's resonsibility is it to fix it?
I think I have a leak... How can I tell?
Why does the water taste like chlorine?
Polymer? What's that and why is it in the water?
CROSS-CONNECTION? What's that and why should I care?
When is the bill due and how do I pay?
Yikes! Why is my bill so high?
I need to get ahold of the water operator on the weekend. How do I do this?
Why does my water pressure
seem low?
The water pressure in the mains is always somewhere
between about 40-45 psi. If your water pressure seems low (Or is low when you
have more than one source of water turned on) it's more than likely one of two
things. The first is, that the corporation valve (the valve on your water meter)
isn't all the way open. The second, isn't so easy. Many of the customers have
service lines made of galvanized pipe. Galvanized pipe is usually good for about
10-15 years before the insides start to become clogged with corrosion. This
corrosion will slowly build and build decreasing the inside diameter of the
service line. This will greatly reduce your flow, which will also reduce your
pressure. Keep in mind that while corrosion is building up, it is also corroding
the pipe itself and you will then start to have leaks. The only cure for
this is to replace your entire service line.
I have a leak. Who's
resonsibility is it to fix it?
It depends where it's at, of
course. The town ordinance states that it is the customer's responsibility
from the connection of the service line at the main and beyond for repairs.
This includes the section of service line between the main and your water
meter. If the meter itself is defective or leaking, we will
usually repair that at no charge. The meter stand (Saddle) that the
actual water meter sits in, is also part of the service line and therefore the
customers responsibility. If the leak is the actual connection of the service
line at the main, we will usually repair that at no cost to the customer.
I think I have a
leak... How can I tell?
This of course depends on where the
leak is, but for the majority of leaks, do this - Make sure that every single
faucet or water valve on the property is turned off and not leaking. Go outside
and look at your water meter. There is a little red (or maybe black) 'star' wheel on the meter.
If it is even turning slightly, you have a water leak somewhere.
Naturally,
if the leak is between the main and the meter this method will not work, but,
there will almost always be a wet spot on the ground.
Why does the water taste like
chlorine?
Everybody's sensitivity to chlorine is different.
Some people are very sensitive to it, while others never notice it. However,
chlorine is a necessity in order to bring you water that is safe to drink. There
are two different measurements of chlorine and it is measured in residuals. The
first is 'Total Chlorine' and that is exactly what it sounds like. The total
amount of chlorine in the water. The second (And probably most important) is the
amount of 'Free Chlorine' in the water. This is the amount of chlorine that is
left over to disinfect any contaminant that might show up in the water
system.
Dosing the water with chlorine can at times be a tricky business. Of
course the state and federal regulations state that there are certain minimums
and maximums. But dosing the water depends a lot upon the raw water you are
processing. If you dose the water with too much chlorine, yes, it will be
obvious that there is too much chlorine in the water. If you are dosing the
water with too little chlorine, not only do you run the risk of not getting
proper disinfection of the water, but it can still smell and taste like
there is too much chlorine! Confusing, isn't it? With chlorine there is what is
called a 'breakpoint'. If you don't dose enough chlorine, it doesn't reach the
breakpoint. When you reach the proper dosage, it'll reach the 'breakpoint', at
which time there will be no noticeable chlorine smell or taste. And if you dose
with too much chlorine,of course the smell and taste will be evident. Our job,
is to hit that point where there is enough chlorine to properly disinfect the
water while reaching the breakpoint so there is no undesirable smell or
taste.
If at times, you should ever notice a chlorine smell or taste in the
water (And know that usually it's because there is too much - Better to err on
that side for safety reasons) that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the
water. The water is perfectly fine for washing, bathing, drinking, etc. As for
drinking purposes, if the smell/taste is disagreeable, all you need to do is set
some water out in a wide top container (Such as a juice pitcher) for about an
hour. Chlorine, when exposed to air dissipates very rapidly.
Polymer? What's that and why
is it in the water?
Filtration systems work much better when
the fine particulates you're trying to filter out can be 'clumped' together to
form larger particulates. This is called 'coagulation'. The larger 'clumps' of
particulates are called 'floc'. Polymer is a thick sticky substance much like
pancake syrup. It also has a negative static charge to it. These two factors
make it an excellent coagulant, by clumping together the particulates because of
it's stickyness and also having the paticulates drawn to it because of it's
negative static charge. The polymer is mixed in small quantities (3-4 parts per
million) with water and injected into the incoming raw water. It creates the
floc which is completely filtered out. (Don't worry, you're not
drinking polymer) Most filtration plants like ours use Alum (Aluminum Sulfate),
polymer, or both to achieve the desired floc. We are lucky enough to have clean
enough raw water, so as only to need polymer most of the time. there are times during the year that alum is used (during winter and during spring thaw, when there is a lot of runoff into the river) because it is more effective.
CROSS-CONNECTION? What's that
and why should I care?
Where would you say that the most
contamination, or potential contamination, to a water system comes from? If you
said the 'source' of the water, you'd only be 20% right. Believe it or not the
vast majority of contaminants come after the water is treated and ready for use.
This usually happens when a contaminant or source of non-potable water enters
the main distribution system. This is called a CROSS-CONNECTION.
How does
this happen? It can happen many ways. How many of you have had a bucket of soapy
water out front while you wash your car? And how many of you have left the end
of the hose in the bucket? If there were a sudden loss of line pressure, such as
a main break, a fire hydrant being opened, or a line being shut down for repair,
it will cause a siphon action that will suck that soapy water right back into
the water main. Same thing with those little spray wands that have a bottle
attached to spray fertilizer, insecticides, etc that you attach to the end of a
garden hose. Maybe you're going to fill up the little plastic wading pool to
wash your dog. Did you leave the hose end in the pool full of dog-water? Maybe
you have one of those old fashion bathtubs where the water level can come into
physical contact with the water faucet? Although there are many, these are easy
to understand examples of what a cross connection is or could be.
The EPA,
State of Washington and the Department of Health are currently working to
minimize such situations and events from happening. For the vast majority of
you, it will mean nothing more than being aware of how you use your water, but
in a few cases there are some of you who will have to do some plumbing
modifications with various anti-backflow devices and you will have to have them
inspected once a year to make sure they are working properly. The Town of Cusick
is currently working on a Cross-Connection Control ordinance and once that is in
place I will notify those who will need to make any plumbing modifications. I
know this may sound like it will be a pain for some of you, but it is important
to keep our water supply free of contamination. Even if only one person got sick
because of a Cross-connection problem, that's one person too many.
When is the bill due and how
do I pay?
The bill is due on the 1st of the month. You have a
15 day 'grace period'. The bill is due by the end of the business day on the
15th. If the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, it is due by the end of the
next business day.
(Example: Say the 15th is on Sunday and Monday happens to be a holiday. The bill is due by the end of the business day on Tuesday)
If payment is not received by that time, the water could be
shut off and you will have to pay an additional 'late' fee of $25.00
Payment
may be made in person (Tuesdays, 12 noon - 6 pm at city hall), by mail, or in
the 'drop-box' located by the city hall front door. Payment may be made by cash,
check or money order.
PLEASE DO NOT attempt to make payment to
the Maintenance Supervisor (Water Operator). He is NOT allowed,
nor authorized to accept payments!
Yikes! Why is my bill so
high?
Naturally, in the warm weather, a lot us us will go over
the monthly allotment (14,800 gallons). Watering lawns, washing rigs, keeping
cool, all can run the water bill up. Of course a
water leak
will almost certainly put you over the limit. But what about the
winter? Normally, this should be the lowest usage time of year. But... Little
things like leaving the faucet running so the pipes don't freeze up can all add
up. A leaky/running toilet will add up quicker than you think. A
dripping/running bathtub faucet could very well put you over the limit.
Think
of it this way... A 'running' toilet can leak through as much as a gallon a
minute. That's 60 gallons per hour. That's 1440 gallons in one day. That's
43,200 gallons per month extra, just flowing down the sewer! As you can
see, that little 'minor' leak can add up to a whole lot of water very
quickly! Say you're only leaking 1/4 of that.... ONE quart per minute
..... That's STILL 10,800 gallons per month! That right
there is almost your total monthly alotment. Not to mention the fact that it's
also that much more sewage that has to be treated unnessacairly at the Waste
Water Treatment plant... As you can see.... It pays to fix those
leaks!
I need to get ahold of the
water operator on the weekend. How do I do this?
The water
plant has an answering machine and the plant is checked 7 days a week, twice a
day on weekdays. If you leave a message for the operator for an emergency call
on the weekend, it will be answered. But please keep in mind there is a fee for
the operator to come to your home for shutting the water off/turning the water
back on, at a private residence on the weekends.
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Website created and designed by: Captain Crunch
Communications, Usk WA.