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Sheridan Acres old and new wells and storage tanks
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BACKGROUND
The Sheridan Acres Subdivision is located in Douglas County, southwest of Minden and Gardnerville. The subdivision is at the foot of the Carson Range, off of Foothill Road. Sheridan Acres has been having problems with their water system for several years, making it difficult for homeowners to sell their homes and impossible for additional development.
The Sheridan Acres Water Company began operating in 1969 or 1970. The water company was owned by Mr. Russell and Mrs. Eva Harold, both now deceased. The water system is comprised of a single well and a small storage tank. The Public Utilities Commission imposed a service connection moratorium on December 13, 1995. On May 30, 1997, the water company was put into receivership. Tim Holt of Water Systems Management Company was the court appointed receiver and has been operating the system since then.
The Sheridan Acres Water Company does not meet current Nevada regulations for water storage, well capacity or redundant water source. Sheridan Acres has a history of running out of water. Last year an emergency inter-tie was made with the Job's Peak Subdivision; at this time Job's Peak has added additional homes and does not have the capacity to supply Sheridan Acres with water. Neither the operator of the water system or the heirs of the owners can invest enough money into the water system to bring it into compliance with Nevada Regulations. Douglas County has purchased the water system and plans on making the needed improvements to bring it into compliance.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Douglas County applied for a grant under the AB 198 program to assist with a water system improvement project. The grant was originally approved by the Board for Financing Water Projects (Board) on April 27, 2005, for $524,465.99 (69.9% of the total eligible project cost of $750,309). Phase I of the project included installing, developing and equipping one new well for the Sheridan Acres Subdivision.
Subsequently, Douglas County came forward with a Phase II and the total project scope expanded to include the installation of the new well from the original scope and added the construction of one new 250,00 gallon water storage tank, the installation of water meters and the installation of a water treatment system for the Sheridan Acres Subdivision. Note that water treatment was added to the project grant based on the water quality results from an exploratory well. It appears that the water is supersaturated with carbon dioxide and is corrosive. If final water analyses from the new well are found to be supersaturated with carbon dioxide, a low-profile diffused air-stripping system may be installed to provide an economical treatment. On August 4, 2005, the Board approved an amended grant for $1,258,933.56 (69.9% of the total eligible project cost of $1,801,049.45).
PROJECT STATUS
The 10 3/4-inch, 225-foot well is complete. The well is equipped with a variable speed drive for remote and automated control of the flow rate. The new pump house is nearing completion. The well house is equipped with a diffused air-stripping system to remove the CO2 from the supersaturated water. This phase (Phase I) of the project was deemed substantially complete on June 21, 2006, and placed into service on June 28, 2006. The well has been operating since it was placed into service and is providing 100 to 105 gpm on a sustained basis. The diffused air treatment is effective in reducing the pH and corrosion potential of the water. The raw water pH is approximately 6.4 - 6.8 and the treated water pH is in the range of 7.6 - 7.9.
Douglas County obtained an easement for the new water storage tank (Phase II) from the Job's Peak Subdivision. The County received six bids on October 17, 2006, for the water tank project. The contract was structured with two bid schedules: Bid Schedule A for the water tank, and Bid Schedule B for the water services and water meters. The contract allows the County to award a contract to the bidder who submits the lowest bid for Schedule A or the bidder who submits the lowest bid for Schedule A plus Schedule B.
The low bids exceed remaining funding for the project. The major component and highest priority in Phase II is construction of the water tank to provide adequate operating, reserve, and fire storage. Rather than delay the project by rejecting all bids while additional funding is requested, County staff has recommended that the Board of County Commissioners provide a short-term loan to the water fund and award Bid Schedule A for the water tank only. Work to replace the water services and water meters is a lesser priority than the water tank and can be deferred until additional funding is secured.
In March 2007, Douglas County requested that the Board approve an increase in grant funding of $373,186.06 for a total grant amount of $1,632,119.63 based on 69.9% of the total eligible project cost of $2,334,935.09. Both construction and materials costs as well as a difficult bidding environment contributed to the higher than expected project costs. Most of the additional costs were due to construction with some engineering increase required. The engineering overruns were primarily due to issues with the test well and contractor issues.
The new 250,000-gallon storage tank was commissioned in August 2007. Work to replace the services and meters is complete .
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