| Growth
and Water Supply
(Excerpt from KKW's Winter 2004 Newsletter)
Norm Labbe, Superintendent
After reading 'Changing Water Rates', 'Who Pays For Growth?' and 'The York Interconnection', you may be wondering "what is this water supply issue and what is the District doing about it?"
The water supply issue relates primarily to customer growth. For example, over the past 20 years, our customer base has increased by 43% and our peak summer day has grown from about 4½ million gallons of water per day (MGD) to 7 MGD. We fully expect this growth trend to continue. Now for some statistics.Our Branch Brook Filtration Plant is rated at 4 MGD, but Branch Brook often provides only about 3 MGD in dry, late-summer weather (usually when we have our peak demands). On peak days, we can also buy up to 2 MGD from neighboring utilities. Therefore, our peak capacity is between 5 and 6 MGD. How have we managed to produce 7 MGD? Well, suffice it to say that we accomplished it as a result of innovation, dedication, cooperation and hard work.
This is what we're doing about it. In addition to participating in ongoing negotiations with neighboring utilities, we are currently studying a variety of alternate water supply options. In general terms, these options include the optimization of the Branch Brook supply, the development of ground water, and desalination of sea water. We expect that by the summer issue of What's on Tap, we'll be able to inform you with more details as to what our future source of supply will entail. Rest assured that we do not intend to waiver from "the highest water quality at the lowest reasonable cost".
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