Stagecoach General Improvement District Water System Improvement Project
BACKGROUND
Stagecoach is located approximately 25 miles east of Carson City on Highway 50. An ordinance was passed on May 10, 1984, by the Lyon County Commissioners creating the Stagecoach General Improvement District (SGID) to provide water service to the customers of the bankrupt Stagecoach Utilities. The SGID took over the water system on February 7, 1985.
On October 22, 1999, the Lyon County Commissioners passed an ordinance requiring the SGID to include the Churchill Rancho Estates in the service area of the SGID. Churchill Rancho Estates is located on Highway 50 approximately 3.4 miles west of Stagecoach.
At the present time, the SGID serves 507 metered connections within the Stagecoach system and 66 metered connections located in the Churchill Rancho Estates. SGID has been approved to serve a total of 1315 connections by the Nevada State Engineer based on 0.67 acre-feet per lot per year.
The main Stagecoach water system consists of approximately 21 miles of water main, 2 supply wells (the Central Well and the Churchill Downs Well), 1 booster pump station, and 3 tanks with a combined storage capacity of 640,000 gallons. The existing system has areas which experience water pressures significantly less than 20 psi during fire flow situations. Arsenic is not an issue in either the Central well or the Churchill Downs well.
The Churchill Rancho Estates water system has approximately 2 miles of water main, 2 wells, and 1 storage tank with a 130,000 gallon capacity. The quality of the groundwater in the Churchill Rancho Estates wells exceeds the maximum EPA arsenic level of 10 parts per billion (ppb) with arsenic concentrations of 22 - 28 ppb.
SGID has been operating the two water systems as separate systems since taking over the Churchill Rancho Estates water system. In 2001, the SGID participated in an arsenic point-of-use/point-of-entry (POU/POE) feasibility study sponsored by the American Water Works Association. The estimated capital costs for POE treatment at that time was $437,600 with annual operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of $38,000. While treatment was one option, it was decided that the long-term cost associated with treatment exceeded the cost of extending the Stagecoach distribution system.
SGID received two previous grants. Their first grant was in 1993 for a maximum amount of $660,000. That project included the replacement of a number of deteriorated pipelines, the closure of some loops to eliminate stagnant water in dead ended lines, and installation of blow-offs and hydrants to facilitate flushing of their water mains. SGID completed the project approved by the Board in 1993 for $358,745.91 and, in 1996, requested that the Board authorize expenditure of enough of the $301,254.54 remaining grant funds to complete additional improvements including a transmission line connecting an existing privately owned well (Empey) to their system and other well site improvements. The Board approved $175,000 of the remaining funds for this additional project element. A total grant of $533,745.91 was used in completing these projects.
SGID received a second grant in August 2002 for $43,123.60 (65% of the eligible project cost of $66,344). An emergency generator and trailer were purchased with this second grant providing the water system with sufficient alternative pumping capacity to meet requirements for maximum day demand, peak hour demand and fire flow during an extended power outage and allowing the SGID to receive an exemption from the storage requirement of NAC 445A.66755.
SGID has a capital reserve fund for their previous two grants. The fund has a current total of $236,334.17. During fiscal year 2005-2006, SGID sold the bulk of its remaining privilege-to-connect fees totaling $3.7 million. SGID paid off their RECDS note payable totaling $389,000, reserving $1,300,000 for match requirements on this project and $2,000,000 in a reserve fund. The $2 million in reserve funds are currently ear-marked for additional water system improvements including: up-grading the antiquated system telemetry, adding security fencing for water system components (e.g., tanks, wells, etc.), replacing all of the 4-inch lines within the SGID, replacing old manual-read meters with touch-read meters, adding more isolation valves to the system, and adding fire hydrants.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The current project proposes to connect the Churchill Rancho Estates water distribution system with the Stagecoach water distribution system and will utilize the Central and Churchill Downs Wells and a new well for the entire system. The estimated O&M costs for the proposed project (all phases) is $27,000. The project was originally laid out in three phases:
o Phase I - Consolidation: The SGID proposes to consolidate both systems by running 18,000 linear feet (LF) of 8-inch water line from the Churchill Downs well located on Boyer Lane to the Churchill Rancho Estates (approximately 3.4 miles to the west of Stagecoach). By consolidating both systems not only will SGID be able to provide better water quality, emergency back up and lower operational costs, Churchill Rancho water customers will be provided with water that meets the 10 ppb arsenic standard and be in compliance NAC 445A.4525.
o Phase II - Storage: This project includes construction of a 750,000 gallon tank with related appurtenances creating the additional storage necessary to provide storage for fire protection and alleviating existing low pressures within the system.
o Phase III - Well: Drill and equip a 300-foot production well in an area of lower arsenic concentration and install SCADA compatible with the existing telemetry. This well would replace the two high arsenic wells located in the Churchill Rancho Estates that will be taken out of service in Phase 1 of the project. The existing wells within the Churchill Rancho Estates would only be used in an emergency. This well will also serve as a back up and will provide an alternative source of arsenic compliant water at the west side of the SGID service area.
On August 4, 2005, the Board approved a Letter of Intent for this three-phased project for SGID. The grant scale calculated for this project at the Letter of Intent stage was 72.7%.
Easements will need to be acquired for the new well site and the booster pump stations. All other improvements will be within existing rights-of-way or easements or on District owned property.
The consolidation of SGID and Churchill Rancho water systems will provide customers in the Churchill Rancho water system with water that meets the 10 ppb arsenic standard and bring that system into compliance with NAC 445A.4525. According to the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water (BSDW), the elevation of the new storage tank and associated PRV will bring SGID into compliance with the pressure requirements of NAC 445A.6672 and the capacity of the tank will bring the system into compliance with NAC 445A.6674. The proposed size of the storage tank, 750,000 gallons, is more conservative than required by NAC. Staff recommended that the minimum amount of storage needed to comply with the regulation - 300,000 gallons - be considered for funding by the grant program.
At this time, the proposed consolidated water system would be in compliance with NAC 445A.6672 Subsection 3, and the need for an additional well(s) is not made necessary by BSDW regulations. Staff was made aware of a potential future problem with nitrates, originating from apparent septic system contamination in groundwater, in the Churchill Downs well in Stagecoach. Should that well exceed the maximum contaminant level of 10 parts per million for nitrate, the consolidated system would have only one source of water that would meet water quality requirements. Either a new well or water treatment for the existing well would then be necessary. Should the decision be made to construct a new well, SGID would need to assure that the distribution system is set up in such a way that the new well would serve the entire system.
The Stagecoach General Improvement District applied for a grant under the AB 198 program to assist with a water system improvement project. The grant was approved by the Board for Financing Water Projects on August 23, 2006, for $2,210,089.19 (approximately 72.7% of the total eligible project cost of $3,040,012.64) for a 2 year grant period. The project includes funding of an 8-inch transmission line between Stagecoach and Churchill Rancho Estates that was upsized to 12-inch pipe using a grant from the Carson River Subconservancy District. The project also includes partial funding of the new storage tank and two booster stations as well as other transmission line appurtenances. No wells were funding on this project.
PROJECT STATUS
A&K was awarded the contract for this work in May 2007. The new inter-tie transmission line from Leegard Ave in the Churchill Rancho Estates to Boyer Lane in Stagecoach, the transmission line up Boyer Lane to the new storage tank, and the new storage tank and booster stations were completed and put into service in December 2007.
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