Water blend project done

By Jon Johnson
Assistant Editor
Published on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 1:13 PM MST

Construction has been completed on a new pipeline between Safford’s Carrasco and Kempton wells that will help ensure a plentiful supply of water in the Gila Valley for years to come.

According to Safford Utilities Director Jay Howe, the Carrasco well has an enormous amount of water, but its arsenic level is on the cusp of the federal government’s maximum allowable amount of 10 parts-per-billion.

“There’s so much water there – it’s unbelievable,” Howe said.

The city of Safford installs pipeline between the Kempton and Carrasco wells to blend water from each and reduce arsenic levels to acceptable federal levels. Contributed photo

By blending the Carrasco water with water from its Kempton well, the city will be able to utilize the resource that was shut down about six years ago when the government’s allowable arsenic level was lowered from 50 parts-per-billion. Howe said the arsenic level in water from the Kempton well is virtually zero.

“We’ll be able to blend that down to well below the maximum level and be able to supplement a minimum of 1,000 gallons per minute,” he said.

That production increase equates to approximately 1,440,000 gallons per day from the Carrasco well.

To blend the water, a pipeline made out of high-density polyethylene was connected from the Carrasco well to the pipeline that connects the Kempton well to the city’s 10-million-gallon storage tank at Discovery Park. The water is mixed together during its journey to the storage tank, and the arsenic level is diluted.

The HDPE pipe traverses about 1-1/4 miles and is joined together in 40-foot sections by heat fusion. Howe said the pipe will “last forever” and that the heat fusion connections are even stronger than the pipe itself.

The project cost $840,000 and was funded by the city’s $6 million loan from the Water Infrastructure and Finance Authority of Arizona for drinking water projects. Howe said the city did all of the work in-house, and the costs are reimbursable to the city’s maintenance and operations budget. He said the city was even able to help out some laid-off miners and hired six temporary construction workers to work on the project. Howe said he hopes to be able to continue to utilize the workers with other piping projects in the works.

The city is one-third of the way through completing plumbing projects to three new storage tanks. The new tanks are necessary to allow the city to refurbish its 10-million-gallon tank.

When all the projects are completed, Safford will have 17 million gallons of drinking water in storage tanks.

Howe thanked Safford’s mayor and City Council for having the vision to accept the city staff’s proposal and approve the blend line.

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Comments

12 comment(s)

GeorgeForman wrote on Jan 13, 2009 12:41 AM:

" I think you folks should get pipes, clubs, and guns and go out in a field an fight this thing out.

To Causal Observation,
The standards in this country can't be too high, we got G.W. Bush. "

SAPPER wrote on Jan 9, 2009 1:42 PM:

" Their flushing the line to clean it before putting it in service. "

DONE wrote on Jan 9, 2009 11:51 AM:

" It appears to have a HUGE leak! Go see for yourself. "

rock star wrote on Jan 6, 2009 6:58 PM:

" Eddie Van Halen was an arsenic baby... and so was Bon Jovi "

Causal Observation wrote on Jan 6, 2009 12:18 PM:

" The standards in America are very high. Set to an assured “Safe” level. The old arsenic level has been identified as causing aversion to “outsiders” and delusions of grandeur, eventually leading to the spawning of multiple country music stars. "

Get it right wrote on Jan 5, 2009 10:49 PM:

" Hey what a mess... you make a very strong and uninformed statement that can cause people to react negitively to bad information. This water is not "Arsenic Laden" as you so ignorantly state. It is at the high end of the MCL, which has been recently changed to an almost undetectable level.
The plan in the acticle will reduce the level to well below the standard required.
You need to do some research before you make statements that could give uninformed people the wrong impression, unless your intentions are to spread lies. "

just for the record... wrote on Jan 5, 2009 10:41 PM:

" To "What a mess" I have been working for a very large private water company for 22 years. The water quality standards set forth by the feds (EPA) and mandated to the states are increasingly stringent. The Arsenic standard for years was 50 parts per billion and there were no issues then. The feds have recently reacted to environmentalists in conjunction with the ability to test to a much higher resolution and changed the standard to 10. With the blend plan stated above it will be well below 10. Stop causing hysteria for nothing "

Shhhhhh wrote on Jan 3, 2009 4:56 PM:

" What's wrong with ALL you people commenting on the "PETTY" things? Can't you ALL just be GRATEFUL" to have the water and be THANKFUL not only to the City of Safford but to the Carrasco and Kempton Farmers for the water pumps. You have to think of the future also not just the "Here and Now." Grow up people. . . "

To Rational wrote on Jan 2, 2009 9:09 PM:

" You sound so typical of those that sit back and enjoy the work of others, everything is good until it effects you. Water is great but do you travel the Sanchez road to work and have to dodge the reflectors and flag signs laying in the roadway, and bump and jar your car as you cross the ill repaired road where the city put the pipeline in? I don't think so. Have any of you noticed the sign stateing this little project cost $850,000? Some of us still work up that road. "

Rational wrote on Jan 2, 2009 12:07 PM:

" The City of Safford has just completed a water line that will ensure good drinking water for the entire Gila Valley and all the last two comments could do was complain. Negativeism is so typical of those in this valley. "What a Mess" and "Good Question", get a life. Congratulations City of Safford; good job and THANK YOU. "

Good question wrote on Jan 1, 2009 8:15 PM:

" Herrington are you going to force City of Safford to fix our road or must we wait 4 years until your are up for re-election. "

What a mess wrote on Jan 1, 2009 9:24 AM:

" Let me get this straight we take good water and mix it with arsenic filled water and make good water for the citizens to drink. A couple questions why has the city left all of the reflecters just laying by the side of the road and removed all other materials? Isn't this a waste of tax payers money. Check it out Safford. Also when is the city of Safford going to fix the road where they tore it up to put the pipe line in, it is a mess. County Supervisor Herrington when? "

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