|
Water
The Water Division is charged with providing pure, safe drinking water
to the public. The rules, regulations and guidelines followed are
established and monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the
Missouri Department of Health (MDOH).
Annual, semi-annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily and hourly
water samples are taken and are either sent in to any number of
certified laboratories selected by the State, or are analyzed in the
laboratory at the Elm Point Water Treatment Plant and Pumping Station.
Return to Top
Billing Revenue
Click here to view a sample
water bill.
(This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open.) For billing
questions, please call 949-3212.
Click here for the Authorization for Automatic Bill Payment Form
(Form
is in PDF format/Use Acrobat Reader to open.)
Return to Top
General Services
The Water Division is a full service utility of the City. We
have the responsibility from pumping the water out of the ground,
sending it to the treatment plant where it is treated to the highest
quality water the customers have come to expect and demand. This
quality does not come naturally from the ground. The water plant is
staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week by operators who have passed
a series of stringent tests given by the MDNR. The operators are
required to maintain their certification by attending numerous
technical training classes and seminars throughout the year.
But our duty to the customer does not stop there. We are also
responsible for delivering the water to the homes and businesses
located in our beautiful community. We have personnel on staff whose
only duty it is to tap water mains for new water services, repair
water main breaks, color code fire hydrants with various colors to
indicate available flow from any given fire hydrant. Our Water Service
Specialist also assist customers with internal inspections of the
customers water lines to try and determine whether or not a leak may
exist and suggest recommendations as to any number of corrective steps
the homeowner can take fix the problem themself, or decide if a
licensed plumber should be called.
The Elm Point Water Treatment Plant and Pumping Station
may be toured by appointment only. Tours last approximately 30
minutes. Group sizes are limited to a maximum total of 20 people at
one time. Adequate adult supervision is required for groups of
children under the age of 14. To arrange a tour, please contact the
Water Division’s Administrative Office by calling 636-949-3239, Monday
through Friday, between 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Return to Top
Facilities
The Elm Point Water Plant is a ground water treatment plant which
receives its water from shallow gravel packed wells. Each well is
capable of pumping 1½ million gallons of water per day (gpd). The
water is delivered to the treatment plant via 11,000 feet of a 24" transmission main.
Once the untreated water reaches the plant, it passes a number of
treatment processes. We first aerate it to remove a number of the
chemicals which cause hardness in water. These chemicals are Carbon
Dioxide, Hydrogen Sulfide and Iron. We then add lime to the water to
facilitate the softening process. This enables the customer to reduce
the amount of soap needed to wash laundry, dishes and for hygienic
purposes such as baths and showers. We also add sodium hypochlorite to
disinfect the water and Sodium Hexametaphosphate which lines the
inside of the water mains to help reduce scaling.
The plant was originally constructed in 1963 with a design of 3
million gallons per day (mpd).
With the increasing growth in the mid 60's, the city soon realized
that the Elm Point Water Plant, along with the former Main Street
Water Plant, would be unable to adequately meet the demands and needs
of a growing community. In the late 60's, the city determined it was
necessary to double the treatment and pumping capacity of the Elm
Point Plant. Construction was completed in 1968 which enabled the
plant to pump 6 mgd.
With the explosive growth in the late early 80's, it was obvious the
city would soon be facing a dilemma with the possibility of not being
able to supply sufficient quantities of water to the community. As a
matter of coincidence, our neighbors to the west, the City of St.
Peter’s, was facing the same pains of a rapidly growing community as
we were. They too were having problems meeting the demands of their
customers. The City of St. Charles and the City of St. Peter’s entered
into an agreement to hire an engineering firm to study the current and
future supply and demand needs of the two communities.
A number of options were made, but the most favored was a plan which
was coined the, “Joint Venture” project. This plan provided for the
construction of a common pipeline which would deliver water from the
City of St. Louis, to a pumping station located in the Heritage
subdivision. Both St. Charles and St. Peter’s would share in the
overall cost of the project, each paying a predetermined amount equal
to the average size of the water distribution system and number of
customers served. It was estimated that the City of St. Charles would
pay approximately ⅔ of the overall project cost and future
maintenance, with the City of St. Peter’s paying the remaining ⅓ of
the costs.
In 1985, construction was started on the Heritage Pumping Station. On
March 17, 1987, the valves were opened and water started flowing to
the customers south of I-70. Between the Elm Point Water Treatment
Plant and Pumping Station and the Heritage Pumping Station, we have
the capability to pump more than 25 million gpd. Other than an
occasional power failure, or planned shutdown, both the Elm Point
Plant and Heritage Pumping Station have been in continuous operation
since their initial startup. Currently 40% of the City's potable water
is produced at the Elm Point Water Plant and 60% is purchased from the
City of St. Louis via the Heritage Pumping Station.
Return to Top
Potable Water Distribution System Design
And Analysis
The design of a water distribution
network involves the selection of a system of pipes so that the
predicted design flows can be carried with head losses that do not
exceed those deemed necessary for adequate operation of the system.
Normally, the design flows should be based on estimated future
requirements, since a distribution system is expected to provide
effective service for many years (often as long as 100 yr). A
sequence of evaluation, design, and layout operations is as follows:
1. Review available data on the distribution system. These
include maps, construction plans, billing records, planning studies,
zoning regulations, population figures, water-use studies, and any
other data relevant to the system being analyzed.
2. Prepare a detailed map of
the existing system and/or the proposed system.
3. Project water-use
patterns for domestic, industrial, and commercial uses to be served by
the system. Water-use estimates are based on population projections
and anticipated trends in commercial and industrial activity.
4. Develop a computer model
of the proposed system.
5. Design new or extended
water distribution systems on the basis of population and other data
discussed previously. In general, these are the steps followed in
distribution system design:
a. On a development plan of the area to be serviced, draw the
tentative location of all water mains that will be needed to supply
the area. The completed drawing should differentiate between proposed
feeder mains and smaller service mains. The various pipelines
comprising the system should be interconnected at intervals of 1200
ft. or less. Looped feeder systems are desirable and should be used
wherever possible. Two small feeder mains running parallel several
blocks apart are preferable to a single large main with an equal or
slightly larger capacity than the two mains combined.
b. Mark the position of building service
connections, fire hydrants, and valves. Service connections form the
link between the distribution system and the individual consumer.
Normally, the practice is one customer per service pipe. Fire
hydrants are located to provide complete protection to the area
covered by the distribution system. Hydrants should not be farther
than about 600 ft. apart.
c. Apply projected water demands
(including fire flow of 1,500 gpm) to the network and calculate
residual pressures. Fire flow is to be based on Fire Department’s
pumper truck capabilities.
d. Compare calculated pressures to
standards. Identify areas of projected less-than-adequate service. A
minimum 20 psi is required during fire flows.
e. Check head losses in individual pipes
to find excesses. These will usually occur in pipes where flow
velocities are greater than 5 fps (1.5 m/s). To keep head losses low,
the maximum flow velocity shall be 5 feet per second.
f. Add pipes or replace high-head-loss
pipes with larger pipes. Run the model again and see if residual
pressures under maximum future loads are adequate. If not, try other
additions or changes until the system is adequate for anticipated
future loads. The system must be able to handle maximum daily loads
plus fire loads without decreasing residual pressures below minimum
standards. The overall objective is to design a system that will meet
projected water demands at the least cost while incorporating
appropriate safety measures for looping or duplicate lines so that
line breaks or other disturbances will not isolate users from a water
supply. Finally, the network analysis and resulting design will be no
better than the assumptions made about water demands, pipe roughnesses,
and so on.
* The above information has been taken
in part from, “Water Supply and Pollution Control”, Fourth
edition, by Viessman & Hammer – Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
– 1985
Return to Top
Water
Quality Report
The St. Charles City Water Division has prepared its annual
public water quality report entitled, "Consumer Confidence
Report" (CCR). This report details water quality test data for all the customers
of the St. Charles City Water Division for the calendar year of
2006.
This reports meets, or exceeds all regulations and provisions as
set forth by Federal and State monitoring agencies (Environmental
Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources,
Public Drinking Water Program, Division of Environmental Quality).
Click here to view
Water Quality Report for 2007.
For more information, please call (636) 949-3239.
Return to Top
Click here for
Fire Hydrant Usage Permit
To open this file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer.
Click here for
Project Reports -
(Report requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open)
|
