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I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I -11- CHAPTER III - WATER SYSTEM ANALYSIS 111.1 Introduction The Town of Oak Creek is a small mountain community whose population, and hence, water demand, have depended largely upon the health of the local coal mining industry. The Town consists mainly of private residences with some small commercial establishments, but no large industries. Historically, the Town has had ample water supply from its sources on Oak and Trout Creeks. Due to its small size, however, the Town has not kept records of water usage. 111.2 Water Supply General - Oak Creek obtains its water supply from Oak and Trout Creeks. The principal diversion into the Town's water supply system, described below, is on Oak Creek. The Town owns storage capacity in Sheriff Reservoir on Trout Creek. Sheriff Reservoir releases can be diverted to the Town's water supply system by Rich Ditch. The location of Rich Ditch below Sheriff Reservoir and the diversion into the Town's water system are indicated on Figure 1. The Town's water system consists of a diversion into a 3-acre-foot settling pond on Oak Creek, as described above; a 3,300-foot, 12-inch- diameter pipeline from the pond to a I-mgd water treatment plant; treatment including flocculation, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, chlorination, and fluoridation; and a 200,OOO-gallon treated water storage tank. The water is distributed by gravity through about 10 miles of mains, except for a small area served by a hydropneumatic system. The treatment plant has been designated "Class C" by the State Health Department. Treated water quality is generally good and complies with drinking water standards, although some tur- bidity problems do occur during high runoff season. Current Demand and Uses - The present population of the Town of Oak Creek is roughly 950 people. Records of past water usage do not exist; the water treated in 1985 was 150 million gallons (460 acre-feet). Based on the amount of water treated in 1985 and on an estimated population of 950, the average daily demand for the town is approximately 430 gallons per capita per day (i.e., 430 gcpd). This demand includes all system losses at and below the treatment plant. The estimated peak water demand is 630,000 gallons per day in the summer. Peak demand during the winter is 300,000 gallons per day and is high due to frequent "pipe bleeding" by residents to prevent frozen pipes. The treatment plant capacity is near 1 million gallons per day. There are currently 454 residential and 40 non-residential taps on the system. Non-residential uses include restaurants and stores, with the most consumptive users being a car wash and laundry facility. Neither residential units nor non-residential units are metered. Losses from the distribution system have been high. This is due to inad- equate pipe loops creating "dead zones", undersized mains, old lines and valves, improper maintenance, and the practice of pipe bleeding in the winter.