NSPP Section IV

This section of the Nooksack Source Protection Plan provides a brief overview of the water systems and operations for the City of Lynden and the Public Utility District #1 (PUD) of Whatcom County. Both the City and the PUD draw water directly from the Nooksack River.

The PUD provides non-potable water to its customers, Cherry Point industries and the City of Ferndale, which are responsible for operating and maintaining their own water treatment systems. Also provided below is an overview of the water treatment operations of PUD customers.

The City of Lynden’s water system is a Group A community system, ID #49150. The City has submitted two documents to the Washington State Department of Health in December 1998 for approval – Water Treatment Plant Operations Program and Water System Plan – which describe their system and its operation in detail. Therefore, the two documents pending state approval are being adopted into the Nooksack Source Protection Plan by reference. However, for purposes of understanding the system operations in the context of the watershed source protection plan a brief overview of the key elements of the system and its operation are provided below.

The City of Lynden draws water from the Nooksack River at approximately River Mile 18. The City’s water right allows for a withdrawal of 11.77 cfs. Current pumping capacity at the intake is 5,280 gpm (7.6 mgd).

As of September 1998, the City had 3,671 water customers in three service categories: residential (3,200), business/commercial (460), and industrial (11). The residential base includes wholesale service to four water associations (Double Ditch, Berthusen, Meadowdale, and Stickney Island). Peak day usage in 1998 is 4.0 mg[2].

Projected demand for the City of Lynden in the year 2005 is 6.4 mgd and in 2020 it is 8.2 mgd. In order to meet the 2020 projected demand, the City will need to secure an additional water right for 0.6 mgd. The City has a capital improvement plan in place to ensure upgrades and replacement of system components necessary to meet increased demands.

As previously mentioned, a complete description of the water system and its operation is in the City of Lynden’s Water System Plan and Water Treatment Plant Operations Program which were recently submitted to DOH for approval.

The caisson-type intake is on the south side of the Nooksack River near the Hannegan Bridge. The pump station is built over the water intake. Controls for the equipment are located in a separate building adjacent to the caisson. The water intake, which was rebuilt in 1998, is in good physical condition. In 1997, one of the pumps was upgraded as part of the City’s maintenance program. Although safeguards are in place to protect the structural integrity of the intake from damage and vandalism, access to the intake itself is not restricted.

The water treatment facility was built in 1924. In 1946, a 0.2 mg storage tank was constructed next to the original 0.1 mg tank. Storage was increased again in 1975 when a 3.0 mg ground level reservoir was added to provide capacity for both fire flow and peaking periods. The treatment plant itself was upgraded in 1963 and a mixed media filter installed. In 1979, the plant was modified to provide suspended solids removal for filter backwash water before disposal.

Water storage capacity for most seasons is about 3 days. However, in summer during peak use storage time is about one day. The City of Lynden is in the process of increasing their storage capacity to 8 days during most seasons and about 3 days in the peak use summer periods.

The City of Lynden’s monitoring program is summarized in Table 48. Samples are collected at intervals throughout the month rather than on a single day. The City’s monitoring program is on file with the state Department of Health and is conducted in accordance with requirements outlined in WAC 246-290-300.

^aOnly required when specific conductivity exceeds 700 micromhos/centimeter.
^bSource for monitoring summary table is the City of Lynden Water Treatment Plant Operations Program.

The City of Lynden has agreements with surrounding municipalities and districts for assistance in case of an emergency. In addition, City personnel have undergone disaster-planning workshops sponsored by Whatcom County Emergency Services.

An emergency telephone list is in place for notifying essential City personnel for water system emergencies. In addition, water system personnel have developed a written procedure for use by the Lynden Police Department in case of an emergency.

In an emergency affecting the intake, water supply would need to come from storage reservoirs. As previously mentioned, the City’s storage capacity is being increased from 3 days to 8 days during most of the year and from 1 day to 3 days of during peak use periods in the summer.

Another situation requiring reliance on storage is during a flood. The high turbidity experienced during a flood requires large amounts of alum, lime, and chlorine for treatment. Although the treated water is potable, the increased chemical usage results in undesirable characteristics in the finished water. Therefore, during a flood situation, the water treatment plant is operated at a lower flow rate and storage water is used to supplement the demand until source water conditions improve.

In situations involving a chemical spill in the source water, the plant would be shut down and the water drawn from the ground level reservoir until the problem is resolved.

The PUD draws water from the Nooksack River at approximately RM 5.5 and RM 9.4. Plant 1, a primary clarification plant, is operated by the PUD and is located off the Nooksack River at Ferndale near Pioneer Park. Water rights that serve Plant 1 have a total of 55 cfs of instantaneous withdrawal capacity and 25,689 acre-feet per year of volume capacity. In addition the PUD operates a second primary clarification plant known as Plant 2. The only potable water currently served from the Plant 2 system occurs when Arco runs their old treatment system under emergency conditions. Water rights that serve Plant 2 have a total of 28 cfs of instantaneous withdrawal capacity and 17,880 acre-feet per year of volume capacity. The PUD has the pumping capacity for full utilization of its water rights and has done so on isolated occasions.

The PUD system is not currently regulated by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Since PUD does not provide potable water, it does not have a public water system ID number.

Plant 1 is a primary clarification plant that mainly supplies non-potable water to industrial users at Cherry Point. In addition to the industrial supply, Plant 1 supplies non-potable water to the City of Ferndale’s potable water treatment plant. A number of the industries at Cherry Point take a portion of their non-potable water and further treat it for potable uses. Plant 2 supplies non-potable industrial water to Cherry Point industries. Only under emergency conditions does Arco treat Plant 2 water for potable purposes.

The PUD’s plant was originally built in 1965 and was expanded in 1968. The plant has a designed treatment capacity of 16 million gallons per day or 11,111 gpm. Normal treatment volumes with the current customer load are in the 12 million gallons per day range and represents service to 28 total customers. These customers are further broken down into seven industrial customers, which include the City of Ferndale, and 21 irrigation customers. All of the industrial customers are served water under contract by the PUD. The total capacity under contract is 25.12 mgd. This closely matches the maximum water volume under the water rights and represents expected future growth. Additionally, this represents about 50% more than the PUD’s current design capacity. As the operational demands of the customers increase, plant modifications will be made to increase the design treatment capacity.

The plant consists of two intake structures on the river, which have traveling and fixed screens as fish exclusion screens with 1/8^th inch mesh. Water that goes through these screens is pumped by five intake pumps into the main treatment plant at which point the water enters a flash mixer where it is mixed with aluminum sulfate and aluminum chlorhydrate as flocculent aids. From that point, the water enters a system of weirs and channels where lime slurry is added for pH control. From the channels, the water enters the main settling basins, which consist of two independent basins each divided in half. The basins consist of a flocculation section that has horizontal paddles to maintain dispersion of the floc material while it amalgamates. Then, the water travels under a weir and enters a gravity settling portion where there is up to a two hour retention time. From there, the water goes into a clearwell where it is then pumped into the pipeline and delivered to the customers at Cherry Point.

The one exception to this process is that the City of Ferndale’s water comes off the settling basin by gravity and goes into the clearwell at Ferndale’s water treatment plant, which is adjacent to the PUD’s facility.

Intake structures at PUD Plant 1 consist of two structures: one built for the plant in 1965, and an intake structure the PUD purchased from the Tosco refinery (then owned by BP Oil Company), which was originally built in 1952. Both structures are in good condition and are inspected on a daily basis and continuously maintained. The intake pumps are routinely changed since they are pumping silty river water and have a life expectancy of about five years. Plant operators perform diving and wet well pump down inspections semi-annually and do maintenance work as required.

Major upgrades to the intakes are being planned by the PUD for purposes of compliance with current fish screening requirements. These upgrades are expected to be permitted and designed over the next year and installed in late summer 2000.

Access to the intake facilities at Plant 1 is unrestricted. Because of the close proximity of the facilities to the road, the intakes are accessible to anyone driving down the road. In addition, anyone on the water in a boat could approach the intakes. When the river is low, the intake bar screen is exposed on the riverside. The PUD currently has no alarms on the Plant 1 intakes. This is primarily because the facility is staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. However, installation of intrusion alarm equipment on the doors of the intake is planned along with the current round of instrumentation upgrades. The facility and intake buildings are locked at all times.

The PUD’s monitoring program is designed for treatment operation purposes; specifically, removal of turbidity from source water. State Department of Health monitoring requirements are not imposed on the PUD system because the PUD is a non-potable water system. Therefore, monitoring undertaken by the PUD is neither in nor out of compliance with state requirements.

The PUD’s primary problem with source water is turbidity excursions. The Nooksack River has been known to go from 50 NTU turbidity to 600 NTU turbidity in less than four hours. This can be a problem for treatment because the PUD can not slow its treatment process due to the industrial water demands of its customers. Weather is a significant factor in the source water quality. Patterns of turbidity are affected by changes in runoff patterns created under different weather conditions; patterns which can change from year to year.

The PUD continuously monitors raw water and finish water turbidity, pH and temperature. The sampling frequency is at least four times per day under normal conditions. Samples are taken more frequently when there are turbidity excursions or other problems being experienced.

Samples for raw water turbidity and pH are taken from the raw water feed line coming from the intake. Temperature is measured by a thermometer probe in the raw water line coming between the flash mixer and the settling basin. Sampling is limited at this time to this point in the system. Historically, the PUD has depended on the river height gauge at Deming for indications of turbidity changes. However, the PUD is considering plans to install a remote turbidity unit to gather this information.

Under the PUD’s current system of operation where the majority of the water supply is supplied to industrial users, turbidity spikes are solely responded to by changing chemical feed sometimes resulting in significant increases in output turbidity. Contracts held by the PUD with its industrial customers are for water delivery without consideration to quality of the water. The PUD has an internal policy, however, that involves notification of industrial customers when turbidity in the delivery system rises above six NTU.

The PUD’s current reaction time to source water turbidity changes is very rapid. Operational changes can be made within a few minutes of notification or observation of these changes. However, since the PUD is unable to slow the water treatment and delivery process, there are often increases in the turbidity of finish water when there are changes in source turbidity.

The PUD’s current emergency response program consists of non-contractual requirements to notify customers when finish water turbidity rises above a certain level. When this level is reached, the finish water turbidity meter alarm alerts the plant operator who then notifies the customers. Anything other than turbidity spikes requires the operator to notify the supervisor and/or the general manager. The plant operators maintain a current telephone list of emergency contacts for all customers.

Early warning mechanisms for PUD operators consist of the electronic monitoring of turbidity. As the PUD increases its instrumentation capability, early warning systems may be expanded to include pH. The PUD does not have any storage capacity for emergencies or any other purposes.

In addition to internal emergency management procedures, the PUD monitors reports it receives from Whatcom County Emergency Management Services (EMS) on events such as flood warnings. The PUD is on EMS’s notification list for spills in the Nooksack River. Under a spill situation, the PUD would notify its customers that treat water to potable standards and recommend that they shut down or adapt their treatment process.

There have been two occasions over the past 9-10 years that the PUD has had reports of pesticide spills, other hydrocarbon spills or oil sheens in the Nooksack River. These incidents were observations made by other entities and reported to the PUD. Neither incident resulted in problems. The latest incident, which was also the larger of the two incidents, occurred approximately four years ago. This incident involved a suspected pesticide spill that was reported as an oil sheen. Whatcom County Emergency Management Services reported the incident to the PUD. The spill was not detected at the PUD intake, it had apparently dissipated by the time it reached PUD facilities.

Emergency preparedness for the PUD crew includes the following measures: 1) plant operators regularly attend continuing education regarding all areas of water treatment facility operations, including emergency procedures; 2) chief operators meet regularly with the general manager to review facility conditions and strategize for emergency prevention and preventative maintenance; and 3) any emergency incident response is documented and reviewed for efficacy with response procedures evaluated and/or modified at that time.

The PUD provides non-potable water to industries located in the Cherry Point area and to the City of Ferndale. The PUD provides primary treatment to lower turbidity levels before conveying the water to its customers. A minimal amount of chlorinating is done for purposes of preventing algae growth in the settling basins.

In addition to its industrial customers and the City of Ferndale, the PUD has several customers that purchase water from the PUD for irrigation purposes. Since these customers use the PUD water solely for irrigation, they are not discussed in the NSPP.

Following is a brief overview of the treatment facilities, monitoring programs, and emergency response plans for the PUD non-irrigation customers.

Documents describing, in detail, the City of Ferndale’s water treatment operation and their water system plan are on file with the Washington State Department of Health. Ferndale’s water system is a Group A community system, ID #24850. Ferndale’s water treatment operation and water system plan documents are being adopted into the Nooksack Source Protection Plan by reference. However, for purposes of understanding the system operation in the context of the source protection plan a brief overview of the system and its operation are provided below.

The City of Ferndale has a contract with the PUD #1 for purchase of water up to 4.5 mgd. In addition to the purchased surface water source, the City of Ferndale holds a water right certificate for groundwater withdrawal of 3.16 mgd and maintains a well capable of producing the certificated quantity of water. City staff has indicated that, at this time, the ground water source is maintained for purposes of meeting emergency or future demand. The combined ground water and surface water source will provide the City with a total water supply of 7.6 mgd.

The water treatment facility for the City of Ferndale has a 4-mgd capacity system serving approximately 2737 metered customers. The design capacity of the facility is sufficient to meet both the current demand and the 10-year project growth needs for Ferndale.

Facility operation uses telemetry for treatment functions and distribution system. The telemetry system is connected to the City’s radio system. Upon failure of water treatment equipment or operations, telemetry equipment activates an alarm and alerts the water operator or on-call City personnel.

The City of Ferndale’s monitoring program is on file with the Washington State Department of Health and carried out in accordance with Washington State Department of Health monitoring requirements (WAC 246-290-300). The basic components of the City of Ferndale’s monitoring program include daily measurements of pH, chlorine and turbidity and weekly measurements of fecal coliform. Source water samples are collected once a month from the tap at the PUD Plant #1 facility, which is next to Ferndale’s WTP. Finished water samples are collected from within the Ferndale treatment facility. Although not a monitoring requirement, the Ferndale treatment operators have done a one-time testing of their finished water for cryptosporidium and giardia and had no findings. One problem that has been encountered with the source water is occasional high turbidity.

The City of Ferndale has two wells that can be used as a backup water supply: one well is operational and capable of providing approximately 900 gpm and the other well is newly drilled and capable of 1300 gpm. The new well is expected to be operational within two years. Routine maintenance is performed on the wells with semi-annual flushing and chlorination taking place in annually.

A notification policy for City personnel is in place for emergency conditions. Depending on the type or extent of the problem, the notification process may include emergency services and fire department personnel. An interlocal agreement between the City of Ferndale and the City of Bellingham for equipment and emergency supplies is in place in the event that it is necessary.

Intalco’s water treatment facility, system ID #3580-E, is designated by the Washington State Department of Health as a Group A non-transient, non-community system. Details of the Intalco water treatment system and operation is on file with the Washington State Department of Health in the 1995 operations plan. The water system at Intalco is designed to supply approximately 200 gpm. Actual water produced to meet current demand is about 50 gpm.

Intalco Aluminum Corporation purchases non-potable water from the PUD under a contractual agreement between the two entities. Intalco owns and operates a water treatment facility on site designed to serve its approximately 1,200 employees.

After entering the Intalco Aluminum Corporation’s facility, the source water goes through an automated gravity mixed-bed filtration system designed to provide approximately 200-gpm of potable water. The filtration is aided by the addition of anionic and cationic polymer flocculents. Disinfection is accomplished by the addition of a sodium hypochlorite solution (bleach). In addition, a corrosion inhibitor is added to the water to reduce corrosion in Intalco’s distribution system.

To ensure proper filtration and disinfection, on-line analyzers, meters, and recorders are used. Turbidity and residual chlorine analyzers are monitored by the plant security system computers, which alert essential personnel in the case of a process upset.

Continuous analyzers measure and record the incoming feedwater turbidity and the turbidity of the filtered water. When incoming feedwater exceeds 2.5 NTU, the water filtration system is operated to achieve a reduction in turbidity of the incoming feedwater as per WAC 246-290-660-(1).

Continuous analyzers measure and record the incoming feedwater turbidity and the turbidity of the filtered water. A continuous residual chlorine analyzer measures and records the residual chlorine level of the water entering the distribution system.

Twice daily, residual chlorine levels are measured at a site close to the filtration facility and at one far from the treatment facility. Coliform sampling and testing is performed as outlined in the Coliform Monitoring Plan that is on file with the Washington State Department of Health. Inorganic and organic contaminant sampling and testing are performed as outlined in the Inorganic and Organic Monitoring Plan. Temperature and pH of water entering the distribution system is continuously monitored and recorded.

Seasonal turbidity spikes of source water have been noted. When this occurs and turbidity spikes are high, the source water can be diverted and not passed through the treatment process.

Intalco maintains an emergency response plan that includes a call-up list for notification of essential personnel for emergencies outlined in their Operations Plan for Domestic Water Treatment Facility. In the event that the continuous monitoring equipment fails, then grab samples of the water will be collected and analyzed at least every four hours. If a spill of a hazardous chemical occurs in the facility, Intalco’s Environmental Affairs Department is immediately notified.

Water storage capacity available in emergencies is up to 50,000 gallons or approximately 24 hours. In case of a shortage of available water, personnel are directed to consume bottled water, which is available throughout the plant. In addition to the bottled water, water from an outside purveyor could be brought into the plant in an emergency.

The Tenaska Ferndale Cogeneration Facility contracts with the PUD #1 for purchase of non-potable water. Tenaska’s water system is designated by Washington State Department of Health as a Group “B”, NTNC system, ID #05121.

Tenaska owns and operates a water treatment facility on site designed to serve one industrial connection. The system produces water at the rate of 0.4 gpm. Future demand is not expected to exceed 2 gpm.

After entering the Tenaska Cogeneration facility, source water goes through Automatic Backwash (ABW) Filters containing sand and anthracite. Filtered water from the ABW filters is pumped directly to the raw water storage tank via a motor-operated level control valve. The filtered water than goes through a cotton string filter before entering sand filters.

The raw water tank sits atop two slow sand filters. Flow from the storage tank, through the filters and into the clearwell, is controlled by a motor-operated isolation on the combined outlet of the filters.

The water leaving the filters moves through a turbidimeter. A control signal based on turbidity is used to automatically adjust the position of the on-service filter’s outlet valve. An alarm is activated when turbidity at the filter outlet exceeds 0.6 NTU.

Tenaska’s monitoring program for treated water is conducted in accordance with minimum requirements under Washington State regulations for Group B systems.

Turbidity of the finished water is monitored continuously. Measurements taken on a daily basis include turbidity of the water entering the sand filters; head loss of the sand filters; flow through the sand filters; the amount of sodium hypochlorite fed to the water at the exits of the sand filters; the temperature, pH, and free chlorine of the finished water; and whether total chlorine is present at a distant spigot. Tenaska personnel check the accuracy of the turbidity meters weekly. On an annual basis, tests are performed for coliform and nitrates. Water is sampled at the entrance to the sand filters, at the exit from the sand filters, and at a spigot distant from the finished water storage point.

If turbidity rises above 1.0 NTU in the finished water, it is diverted to the drain. Tenaska is required to provide a minimum of 1.0 log inactivation of Giardia cysts and 2.0 log inactivation of virus through disinfection, monitored through daily samples of the finished water. Tenaska’s reaction time to high turbidity is immediate. The maximum reaction time to dipping chlorine levels is 24 hours.

There have been no problems encountered with the source water other than certain seasonal changes in its composition. These changes were noticed indirectly though interactions of the source water in Tenaska’s demineralizer trains and with their boiler chemicals.

Tenaska does not have a formal emergency response program in place specifically for their potable water system. In the event of a situation causing source water loss, the Tenaska Ferndale Cogeneration Facility will have the capacity of its 1500 gallon storage tank to draw on as well as the option of transporting water on-site by tanker truck.

Detailed information on Tosco’s water system operation is on file with the Washington State Department of Health. The state identification number for the Tosco Refinery is No. 554509 and is a NTNC Group A Public Water System.

Tosco Refinery purchases non-potable water from the PUD under a contractual agreement between the two entities. Tosco owns and operates a water treatment facility on site with make-up design capacity of 55 gpm. Over 90% of the water supplied to the refinery by the PUD is used as non-potable water for process related purposes, primarily cooling. Water treated to drinking water quality is a small portion of the water supplied (up to 50 gpm).

Tosco’s water treatment facility consists of a Multi-Media Filter, a dual cartridge Bag Filter, and a Treated Water Storage Tank (Clear Well), in series ahead of the distribution system. The make-up pump design capacity is 55-gpm. However, the maximum capacity of the Cartridge Filter when using filter bags in parallel is 50-gpm.

Tosco’s monitoring program for treated water is conducted in accordance with the minimum requirements under Washington State regulations; WAC 246-290 Group A Public Water Systems, Parts 1-5 and part 6, Subpart A, Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR). Parameters measured include fecal coliform, turbidity, disinfectant, Trihalomethanes, pH, temperature, total coliform, ICHEM, VOC, SOC, lead and copper.

The measurements taken on source water are primarily fecal coliform and turbidity. These samples are collected ahead of the Multi-Media Filter where the source water enters the facility: once a month for fecal coliform and daily for turbidity. Results of fecal coliform tests on source water are consistently low; usually between 1 and 5 colonies per 100 milliliters. No trends in source water quality, based on monitoring results, have been detected.

The most significant problem experienced with source water is very high turbidity when the Nooksack River contains a lot of silt or when the PUD water operation experiences upsets in its operation. Tosco’s drinking water facility is equipped with continuously operating on-line turbidity analyzers and high turbidity alarms. When filter discharge turbidity exceeds 0.4 NTU, an alarm sounds. If turbidity is too high for adequate treatment, the make-up water system is shutdown until turbidity is brought under control in PUD supplied water. If high turbidity in the source water is a short-term problem, less than 8 hours, shutdown of the make-up system is not required. Another occasional difficulty encountered with the source water is an inexplicably high pH (>8). The high pH can adversely effect the Inactivation Ratio described below.

For treated water, results of Total Coliform tests have been “none present”. Tosco Refining Company continuously operates above the minimum Inactivation Ratio of 1, which represents a 3.0 log reduction of Giardia Lamblia by the system. Tosco’s drinking water facility is given a 2.0 log reduction credit by the WSDOH for filtration and is required to provide 1.0 log reduction of Giardia Lamblia via disinfection.

Tosco’s Ferndale Refinery has a prepared emergency response program for emergencies affecting drinking water system operation: Boiler Safety & Operations Manual, Section 4.2.6, Operating Guidelines – Emergencies. Employees receive training on these procedures on a regular basis.

Early warning mechanisms in place to notify Tosco water treatment an operator of pending emergencies involves telephone notification by PUD personnel when the PUD is experiencing a facility upset and the on-line turbidity/disinfectant monitors. An alarm in the clear well also alerts Tosco personnel of low water levels resulting from such situations as line leaks or unusually high potable water demand. These mechanisms have been effective in enabling personnel to respond to potential drinking water problems in a timely fashion.

In the event there is a system disruption, Tosco’s Ferndale Refinery has a potable water storage capacity in its clear well of up to 2.5 days at normal water use assuming a full tank. To maintain clear well levels beyond 2.5-day storage, potable water can be trucked in to maintain sufficient levels in the clear well.

In case of an emergency, the emergency response program calls for additional monitoring on the water storage system and off-loaded potable water as necessary to assure safety of water delivered to the distribution system. If any contamination of system components occurs, those components are treated with disinfectant solution in accordance with standards before being placed back in potable service. The increased monitoring period resulting from an emergency lasts as long as necessary to assure continued safety of drinking water.

In addition to water for potable supplies, the PUD provides Tosco Refining Company with water for cooling, processing purposes, and fire fighting. In case of an emergency, Tosco does not have water storage capacity to meet their non-potable water needs, with the exception that marine salt water could be substituted for fire-fighting purposes as needed.

The majority of the water Texaco purchases is used for process cooling or firewater usage. Approximately 1 gpm of the purchased water is diverted to potable water usage. A small treatment system is maintained by Culligan to supply water to the offices and shop. Texaco’s Washington State Department of Health designation is a Group B system, ID #06122.

As previously mentioned, Culligan operates the potable water treatment facility which includes chlorination and turbidity filtration. Residual chlorine and coliform bacteria are tested monthly. Samples are taken from sink taps in the offices.

Texaco has an emergency response plan in place for their terminal, which is practiced annually with cooperation from the fire district. Texaco does not, however, have water storage on site and therefore depends on the PUD for water supply during an emergency.

The water supplied to ARCO by the PUD is used for industrial purposes. The Blaine water district is the purveyor for ARCO’s potable water supply. Since Blaine does not use the Nooksack River for source water and Blaine is not part of the regional source water protection plan, details of ARCO’s system are not included in the NSPP. It should be noted, however, that Blaine does have a well-head protection plan in place to protect their source water.

Detailed information on ARCO’s water system operation is on file with the Washington State Department of Health. ARCO’s system is designated as a Group A, NTNC operation ID #03315D.

Since ARCO does not utilize water from the PUD for potable water supply, the details of the monitoring program are not included in this discussion. However, ARCO does have a water system plan on file with the Washington State Department of Health for a Group A system, which provides relative information regarding monitoring requirements.

Emergency plans are in place at ARCO in the event that PUD water service for industrial purposes is interrupted. However, since the focus of the NSPP is on potable water, a discussion of emergency plans for the industrial operations is not included in this document.

With regard to potable water, as previously mentioned, ARCO’s source water supply is from Blaine. ARCO’s emergency plans for disruption of their potable water supply identifies the PUD as the emergency water purveyor.

Hovander farm receives water from the PUD #1 under terms of a contract. Hovander provides filtration and chlorination of its potable water supply. The system is designated, using Washington State Department of Health criteria, as a Group B system, ID #03269. Monthly coliform and chlorine residual samples are collected at points in the milk house. A change or trend in the quality of the source water has not been detected.

Hovander maintains 2-1000 gallon water storage tanks for its system. In case of an operational emergency resulting in depletion of the 2000 gallons stored water, alternative water sources would be used such as bottled water.

[1]Source of information on the City of Lynden’s water treatment facility and operations is City personnel, the City of Lynden’s Water System Plan and the Water Treatment Plant Operations Program.
[2]Figure is calculated for the period of January through September 1998. 1997 peak day usage was 3.8 mg.
[3]Information about the PUD’s water system obtained through PUD personnel.
[4]Information about the City of Ferndale’s water system was obtained through Ferndale personnel.
[5]Information on Intalco Aluminum Corporation’s water treatment operation was provided by facility personnel and the Domestic Water Treatment Facility Operations Plan, February 9, 1995 (version 2.1).
[6]Information on Tenaska Ferndale Cogeneration Facility was provided by facility personnel and from the section of the Operations Procedure –901 (OP-901) which address Tenaska’s potable water system.
[7]Information regarding the Tosco Refinery water treatment facility and operation was provided by personnel at the refinery.
[8]Information provided by personnel at Texaco Natural Gas Liquids, Ferndale Terminal.
[9]Information provided by personnel at ARCO Products Company, Blaine, WA.
[10]Information about Hovander Farm’s water system was provided by Hovander.

Parameter	Minimum Number of Samples Required
Bacteriological	Ten (10) per month (distribution system)
Primary chemical and physical standards (arsenic, barium, cadmium, fluoride, lead, mercury, nitrate as N, selenium, silver, sodium, and turbidity).	One (1) complete analysis every 12 months from surface water source.
Secondary chemicals and physical standards (chloride, color, copper, iron, manganese, specific conductivity, sulfate^a, total dissolved solids^a, and zinc).	One (1) complete analysis every 12 months from surface water source.
Turbidity	Continuous
Corrosivity	Two (2) per treatment plant during a 12-month period.
Pesticides	Every 36 months or as directed by DOH.
Radionuclides (gross alpha particle activity, radium-226 and radium-228)	Once every 48 months or as directed by DOH.