Although water levels at Lily Lake are at an all-time low, that’s not what’s prompting water restrictions for residents and visitors.
A construction flaw in the pipe that feeds water from the lake to the treatment plant on FAA Road is the source of the problem, borough administrators said this week.
The pipe leading from the lake to the plant is gravity fed. In 2010 the borough received a grant to replace the corroded water line. During the installation process, the contractors encountered bedrock. Instead of blasting through it, they laid the pipe over it, which created about a 3-foot hump in the line. And while the pipe’s intake is still four to five feet below the lake’s surface, that hump is above the water level.
“What (the engineer) put on paper and what was actually installed deviate a little bit,” said water department supervisor Dennis Durr.
Air is becoming trapped in the pipe and reducing water flow to the treatment plant. Because the water level is so low, there’s not enough pressure to force enough water through the long line and the reverse slope where the hump is located.
“My guess is that they were aware of it, but maybe at the time, with the lake level, they said this is still lower than the lake and it might not (be) a problem. It’s hard to say,” Durr said. “I think if you’re laying a line in (according) to the plan, you’d want to actually shoot the grade. Maybe they didn’t foresee it ever getting to that point where it dropped that low.”
“They didn’t factor in global warming,” borough manager Debra Schnabel said this week.
Brad Maynard, the borough facilities director at the time, told the CVN this week that he and the contractors on the job never considered that the water level would drop. “That’s unfortunate,” Maynard said of the current conditions. “I’m sure we didn’t look at that in the first place. I do remember that (rock) being in there, but at the time it wasn’t considered a problem. The water level was always above that high point in the line.”
On Sunday night, Durr and his dog Copper spent the night in his camper at Lily Lake so he could continually refuel a pump that is pushing water from the lake to the section of pipe that’s above the lake level, about 500 feet down from the bank. On Monday, borough staff set up a 100-gallon fuel tank to keep the pump fueled.
“This is our short-term solution,” Durr said. “We might have to do this for a month. We might have to do it for two months. We don’t know.”
Durr said he’s concerned that dry hot summers could be a new trend. The long-term solution, he said, is to construct the pipe according to its design. The borough hired civil engineer Mark Pusich to assess the line, who verified the concern about the construction flaw.
“Rainfall would help for the short term, but it’s not going to solve our problems,” Durr said. “We’re going to have to drill and blast that bedrock out to lower (the pipe) just a little bit. I think if we can do that we’re probably back in business.”
Schnabel said the borough plans to either blast the rock or divert the pipe around it. She estimates the work will cost about $50,000.
Water plant staff are regularly making trips to and from the lake, and because of the staged equipment near the banks and along the water line, they’re asking the public to stop using Lily Lake Road.
Durr thanked residents who are adhering to conservation measures and said since they were ordered, water use has fallen by about 150,000 gallons per day. Borough administrators this week issued a slew of water restrictions and warnings, including telling residents to stop using sprinklers and to voluntarily reduce the use of dishwashers and washing machines. They also warned that service could be shut down to customers on FAA, Mud Bay and Small Tracts roads.
“This time of year, in this kind of weather (customers use) about 400,000 gallons (per day),” Durr said. “Now we’re using about 250,000 gallons since the conservation measures went into effect.”
On Monday, Durr was searching for parts to set up an additional pump and said the borough is not at a stage where service will be periodically cut off. He said the borough is treating water at a pace to “break even” with use.
The borough has hired former water supervisor Scott Bradford to work as a consultant as the issue progresses. Bradford said he estimates the surface of Lily Lake to be about three feet below average, the lowest he’s ever seen in the 30 years with the water department.
“I’m waiting for palm trees to grow,” Bradford said.
About 80 percent of the borough’s water comes from Lily Lake during the summer months, Durr said. The Lily Lake water line stretches nearly two miles.
According to NOAA meteorologist Rich Tinker, Haines has received 18 fewer inches of rainfall than average since September 2018. Temperatures are also about 3.5 degrees warmer than normal since March. Fifteen of the last 16 months have been warmer than average, according to NOAA data.
The heat is also likely speeding the evaporation rate of water at Lily Lake.