Iola continues to pump out millions of gallons of fresh, safe water each day.
But in order to maintain the system’s integrity, city officials have sought a master plan to look at short- and long-term issues that may spring up.
On Monday, engineers with Burns-McDonnell put a price tag on what such a plan would entail.
The largest issue facing the city — replacing more than a quarter of the city’s 69 miles of water mains — plus other upgrades to Iola’s three storage tanks put long-term fixes in the $12 million to $17 million price range, engineer Ryan Scott said, “with the lion’s share in water main replacement.”
Scott’s diagnosis was part of an hourlong discussion with the Council about strengths and weaknesses of the system, portions of which date back to the early years of the 20th century.
Burns-McDonnell’s comprehensive look included a report of daily water demand over the past 14 years and how much may be lost through leaks, two rounds of field testing and an analysis of the city’s water tanks on Oak Street, Miller Road and south of Gates Corporation.
FIRST, the good news. The water leaving Iola’s water treatment plant well exceeds all state and federal drinking water standards and regulatory requirements.
But there are warning signs regarding what happens to the water once it starts flowing through the water mains, none of which are unique for a system as old as Iola’s, Scott said.
Water loss — as much as 20 percent on some days — could be attributable to leaks or inaccurate water meters, Scott said.
“You’ll never get it right on point because you don’t live in a vacuum,” Scott said. “But based on a city your size, 15 to 20 percent (loss) is relatively high. Your goal should be closer to 10 to 15 percent.”
Additionally, alkali and acid levels within Iola’s water are within state and federal standards, but “you’re just at the right side of that line,” Scott said. Those levels are key in determining the water’s chemical makeup throughout the entire system, not just in the water treatment plant. (Exposure to corroded pipes changes both levels.)
Scott also pointed to restricted water flow to several fire hydrants in Iola — mostly through the central parts of town — as another indication some mains are in need of replacing.
Meanwhile, Each of the city’s three water storage tanks has its own unique set of issues.
The Oak Street water tower can only be filled to about half capacity because filling it further would put undue stress on some of the nearby water mains.
The cylindrical tanks at opposite ends of town show signs of having “old water” inside, because the tanks fill and empty from the bottom.
“”So, you’re really only changing water in the bottom half of the tank,” Scott said. “That leads to thermal stratification. That water in the top half of the tank just gets older and older.”
