AWWA ACE56284

From 1901 until 1960, the City of Seattle built 11 large open distribution drinking water reservoirs. These reservoirs range in size from 7.5 to 68 million gallons. In 1995, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) submitted a covering plan to the Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) that was approved. Two of the reservoirs have been replaced with new concrete reservoirs and a third covered with a floating membrane cover. The remaining 8 reservoirs will be covered - primarily with floating covers - over the next 16 years. In the meantime, SPU administers a comprehensive open reservoir protection program approved by WDOH. Operation and maintenance staff have addressed a range of operational, trespass, animal and in-reservoir water quality issues. Special plans were put in place during the 1990 Goodwill Games, the 1993 Asia-Pacific Economic Conference, and the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings. This paper presents SPU's open reservoir protection program, which includes security, controlling birds and airborne contaminants, reservoir cleaning, reservoir outlet disinfection, exclusion of surface water and emergency response. The protection program has undergone a major change over the last 5 years, including transition to a team-based management approach and increasing pressure from neighborhood groups and advocates of other uses of these sites (such as parks and telecommunications transmission towers). Program changes are described and key water quality and related performance measures are provided. Special provisions during unusual events (Goodwill Games, APEC, and WTO) are also described. Includes figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

06/16/2002

Number of Pages:

13

File Size:

1 file , 350 KB