THE METRO UPDATE

August 2021 Vol. 120

Switch From Ferric Chloride to Ferric Sulfate On June 30th the District learned of a ferric chloride shortage caused, in part,

by a national chlorine shortage. Two days later it was clear the District would

be unable to procure any more ferric chloride. With less than two weeks of

ferric chloride on hand, the District made the decision to switch the primary

coagulant chemical at Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant (LCWTP) to

ferric sulfate. This chemical had been piloted in 2005 and performed compara-

tively with ferric chloride. Jar tests performed on July 6th confirmed that ferric

sulfate would work, as anticipated.

However, feeding ferric sulfate into the ferric chloride tanks was not an option

due to compatibility concerns. As a temporary solution, the empty Alum tanks

were utilized as a location to receive and feed ferric sulfate. Some piping,

fittings and an air dampener were procured in order to make the east tank

functional. Once the existing ferric chloride is removed, District staff will clean,

flush and repurpose the ferric chloride feed system to feed ferric sulfate.

In order to keep an eye out for any potential water quality changes due to the switchover and ensure safe drinking water is de-

livered to the District’s customers, the Laboratory has increased monitoring of pH, alkalinity, chloride, sulfate, metals, and bacteriological

samples tests for total coliform and E.coli using Colilert, and heterotrophic plate counts using Simplate. Laboratory staff collected an extra

14 samples the week of the switchover, with eight additional sam-

ples collected every Monday through August 2nd. Samples are col-

lected at the LCWTP effluent and throughout the distribution system.

Of the samples that have been analyzed, lead and manganese results

are less than the method detection limit (neither of these metals

were detected and copper results are all below 3.0 ug/L (part per

billion) – well below the maximum contaminant level of 1,300 ug/L.

No changes have been observed for alkalinity or pH, and all microbi-

ological test results have been satisfactory.

Human Resources

Service Anniversaries:

Ken Fritz—Control Systems Technician, 40 years

Gordon Cook—Maintenance Supervisor, 25 years

Bret Goodwin—Water System Operator, 20 years

Andy Reidling—Water System Operator, 15 years

Matt Marcek—Facilities Supervisor, 5 years

Welcome New Employees:

Brian Pehrson, Systems Administrator

Chad Fernelius, Systems Administrator

Ian Jones, Grounds worker

THE METRO UPDATE

September 2021 Vol. 121

The Governor’s Water Conservation Team, which includes representatives from the Utah Division of Water Resources, the District, and six water con-servancy districts, meets weekly to discuss the drought impact to their wa-ter service areas. With 88% of the state in either Extreme Drought (D3) or Exception Drought (D4) status (see chart), the focus of the Slow the Flow campaign has changed from “Water is Life” to “Drought ’21: Water to Sur-vive, Not Thrive.” There are 8 actions that everyone can do to conserve water. The drought response actions are as follows:

1. Water less. Grass is resilient and can survive with only 1” of water a month.

2. Don’t water if it’s windy. Winds above 5 mph increase evaporation.

3. Water at the right time. Don’t water between 10 AM and 6 PM.

4. Prioritize your watering. Priority #1, Trees because they provide shade, help cool your home, and produce oxygen.

5. Raise your mower. Set blades at 3-4 inches to shade roots and reduce evaporation.

6. Get a rebate. Check www.utahwatersavers.com for programs and re-bates in your area.

7. Check with your local provider. Learn about conditions and possible restrictions in your area.

8. Help spread the word. Flier and lawn signs available under Tools & Resources at www.slowtheflow.org

Utah Drought Update

Flocculation Equipment Repair

The flocculation equipment at the Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant con-

sists of a several parts including a drive shaft, sprocket, and chain that adjusts the

speed of the rotating paddles. The equipment is original to the plant so replacing

broken parts is challenging. On July 30, 2021 District staff noted an issue with the

flocculation equipment for basin #1. Upon further inspection, the gear teeth on

the small sprocket had extensive wear which was interfering with the chain’s

ability to grip and therefore spin the paddles. As the chain and sprocket were

original to the plant, the only option for replacement was to design and fabricate

a new one. Fortunately, District staff located the original drawings and have com-

missioned a local machine shop to fabricate a new one.

District Olympics

To commemorate the 2020 Olympics, the District

held an in-house Olympics including eight events

and 37 participants. Team events included volley-

ball, foosball, and cornhole, while individual players

participated in events such as horseshoes, ping

pong, Frisbee golf, darts, and croquet. Over a three

week period participants competed in their events

to further progress in their brackets. Winners and

participants were congratulated during an awards

ceremony on August 25th. The winners were as

follows:

Croquet Todd Tucker Terry Worley

Foosball Scot Collier Nathan Scown

Chrystle Poss Taylor Workman

Horseshoes Chad Rose Todd Tucker

Volleyball Steve Slack Breana Jackson

Gardner Olson Dylan Jackson

Cornhole Nathan Scown Matt Marcek

Chad Rose Kenny Peterson

Ping Pong Josh Croft Matt Marcek

Frisbee Golf Josh Croft Nathan Scown

Darts Scot Collier Steve Slack