California American Water Resumes Desalination Test Slant Well Operation
November 12 2015 - 5:00PM
Business Wire
Promising Data Reported; Study Shows 28 Slant
Wells Already Operating in the U.S.
After receiving a permit amendment from the California Coastal
Commission, California American Water has resumed operation of its
test slant well, which was constructed earlier this year to test
water quantity and quality at the primary proposed site for the
Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project.
“We’ve picked up where we left off in terms of water quality and
production trends,” said California American Water Engineering
Manager Ian Crooks. “Our salinity levels continue to increase,
indicating a higher concentration of ocean water, which is
important to protect the groundwater basin.”
Operation of the test slant well began in April and was stopped
in early June, after a relatively small drop in surrounding
groundwater levels was observed. The California Coastal Commission
permits for the test slant well required Cal-Am to stop operation
if such a reduction occurred, then report on its cause and seek a
permit amendment before resuming the test. Evaluation of the data
revealed that the drop was primarily due to the regional pumping in
the area and unrelated to the test slant well operation. The well
permits were amended by the California Coastal Commission in early
October to clarify that pumping could resume. The test slant well
was restarted in late October.
“The act of stopping and starting the well has itself confirmed
the integrity of the well’s construction,” commented Crooks.
“Physically it was a good test for the well because we got to see
how it performed after being restarted, after a period of not
operating. The full-scale design includes redundancy and
contemplates having some wells off for periods of time. Our recent
experience confirms this plan is viable.”
Subsurface intakes, of which slant wells are one type, are
considered environmentally preferable to open ocean intakes by many
permitting agencies. The California Coastal Commission, State Water
Resources Control Board and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
have each stated a preference for subsurface intakes, which draw
ocean water through the sand rather than directly from the ocean.
National Marine Sanctuary policy requires proponents to determine
the feasibility of using subsurface intakes before it will consider
open ocean intakes.
California American Water also released a study it commissioned
to identify other slant wells used for water supply in the United
States. The engineering firm conducting the study found 28 slant
wells at 8 locations that were similar in size and design to those
planned for the company’s Monterey Peninsula Water Supply
Project.
"We are confident in the performance of slant wells, and
commissioned this study to learn from the more than two dozen
similar wells already in operation in the United States,” said
Crooks. “There has been substantial misinformation in the community
about slant wells and we are making the findings of this study
available to the public to promote a better understanding of
technology and others’ experience with it."
A copy of the study and weekly pumping data from California
American Water’s test slant well is available at
www.watersupplyproject.org.
In 2014, the California State Water Resources Control Board
awarded California American Water a $1 million grant for
construction of the test slant well.
The Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project is intended to
replace the local community’s current reliance on the Carmel River
as its primary source of water supply and is expected to be
complete in 2019. More information on the project can be found at
www.watersupplyproject.org.
California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Works
Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water
and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.
Founded in 1886, American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest
publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With
headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately
6,700 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water,
wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million
people in more than 30 states, and parts of Canada. More
information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151112006163/en/
California American WaterCatherine StedmanOffice:
831-646-3208Mobile: 831-241-2990Email:
catherine.stedman@amwater.com
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