Water System Consolidation for Westinghouse Savannah River Company

Abstract

As part of a water distribution study for Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC), Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. (M&E) evaluated the potential for total or partial consolidation of the site's water supply systems. Under current operation, the site meets water demand through 28 systems serving populations from 1000 to 6000 consumers. With an overall 24-hour average water demand of 1080 gallons per minute (gpm) and peak water demands varying in each system from 10 to 750 gpm, the site area for consolidation covers approximately 300 square miles. Multiple consolidation alternatives were evaluated for consolidation of the drinking water supply. Potential shifts in population centers and area demands was an important element considered in the study.

The evaluation of the alternatives considered available groundwater and surface water quality and quantity to meet the projected demand while considering capital costs, operational reliability and flexibility, and low life-cycle cost. Hydraulic analysis of the water distribution transmission lines for each alternative were modelled using an M&E digital computer modeling program. Ranking and weighting of both economic and non-economic factors allowed for a recommendation of a final alternative for consolidation. It was shown that in many cases, non-economic factors could be as important, if not more important, than economic factors.