Links and Documents
Kopachuck Ridge Estates Water District
Board of Commissioners:
- David Gordon
- Jim Gough
- Greg Baer
You can send a message to the Board of Commissioners by emailing the Commissioners at KREWD[at sign]kreha.org.
KREWD NEWS
2012-2020 Standby Generator Reliability Improvement Project
Our standby electrical generator was installed in 1995. In 2012 we started having some problems with it. The automatic transfer switch, which starts the generator when there is a power failure was working but the weekly scheduled exercise period was not working quite right. It is supposed to start and run for 20 minutes once a week on Tuesday mornings. It was starting but the time it was starting varied by more than 24 hours. It also had occasional problems in transfering from utility power to standby power or visa versa. It was discovered that the internal clock in the controller was failing and it was not possible to repair the obsolte controller. So, a new controller was purchased and that solved that problem. The failure to transfer back and forth was due to the main contactor welding itself and sticking so it was replaced. Then over the following years it began to have occassional problems starting when exercising and when there was a power failure. As the years went by this problem became more frequent. It was discovered that the radiator was leaking which caused a coolant level sensor to trip which prevented it from starting up. Replacing the radiator solved that problem. Then a few years later it once again had problems starting automatically. We could always get it started manually. This time it was determined that the problem was a fuel supply problem. So, over several years every thing in the fuel supply chain was replaced or rebuilt except for the tank. This solved the problem. Then the radiator started leaking again. It was replaced again in 2020. As of 2020 the generator is working like new. By the way, in mid 2020 the run hour meter for the gnerator has less than 900 hours of operation over its 25 years of service.
2013 Slope Stability Project
In late 2012 there was another sloughing event on the steep portion above the two water tanks at the back of the facility. The cornice at the top became more pronounced and portions of the slope were vertical. It was decided to explore a more permanant solution. An engineering firm was brought in to study the problem and make recommendations to stabilize the slope. Several options were explored and bids were collected using various control technologies. It was decided to go with a cellular confinement system as this was a cost effective proven long term approach. Other slopes in the area have been stabilized with this approach. This project was completed late 2013.
2010-2011 Slope Stability Project
In the summer of 2010 the Water District started a project to investigate the stability of the slope behind the water tanks and explore options to stabilize the slope. This slope is very steep and in 2001 there was a small sloughing or slide in one area. After that slide the slope was investigated by a geological engineering firm and was found to be safe. Several options were presented including doing nothing which was the course taken. Since that time there has been no other slide events and the slope remains as it was in 2001. Because there is very little vegetation on the slope and the vegetation and trees at the top of the slope are being undermined slowly by erosion, it was decided to have another firm perform another investigation. This investigation was completed and a report with recommendations for mitigation was provided. The report is available to view in the list of links below. We decided to take the recommendation from the report to have the trees along the top of the slope removed and have the slope hydroseeded. This work was completed in May of 2011.
2009-2010 Cross Contamination Control Test Program Update - July 16, 2010
During the summer of 2009, we started a Cross Contamination Control Test program to test the Back-Flow Valves (BFV) that is required for each home that has an irrigation or sprinkler system. You may or may not be aware that this test program has been going on as most of the valves are located near the meter and were tested by Penn Light (PLC) technicians at the street. There were about 21 homes where the technician was unable to locate the valve. PLC sent out letters to those homeowners with instructions for them to notify PLC as to the location of their valve or obtain help in determining if there is a valve and if not have one installed.
A cross connection is defined as any actual or potential physical connection between a public water system (such as our small private system) or within the homeowner's water system and any source of non-potable liquid, solid, or gas that could contaminate the potable water supply by backflow. Cross connections exist in all plumbing systems. To read more about Cross Contamination Control, please click on the link further down the page.
As of the July 9th, 2010 every home except one has been completed. The remaining home will be done after their sprinkler system is rebuilt.
2007-2008 Booster Pump Improvement Project
This improvement project was conceived a few years ago but it was not until 2007 that a serious engineering plan and design was put together and submitted to the State Department of Health. The reason for this improvement to our system was to solve a long standing design problem with our existing system. The homes in Division 2 were receiving inconsistent service.
The old design used a single 7.5hp booster pump located in a concrete vault on 101st. This pump comes on when the pressure drops to 80psi and then turns off at 95psi for a 15psi differential. When it comes on, it comes on at full speed and it moves a lot of water very fast which causes a rapid rise in water pressure. The resultant is that during peak demand times, the pump cycles on and off many times over a fairly short time. Consequently, homeowners experience wild fluctuations in pressure and the pump wears out frequently. Due to the nature of the design of the vault where the pump is located it is very labor intensive to make repairs.
The new design uses two smaller variable speed 3hp pumps operating in parallel. These pumps were installed in a new pump house down at the bottom of the hill in the water facility next to the existing pump house. A computer controller controls the number of pumps running and their speed to regulate the water pressure within plus or minus 2psi. Having two pumps also provides redundancy so that service can continue when one pump requires maintenance. The new design will accommodate a third pump if it is determined that the range of demand (from irrigation) exceeds the supply capability of the two pumps. This new design has been used by Pen Light with great success. The old booster pump and vault on 101st will remain until it is determined that is is no longer needed as a back up.
KREWD HISTORY
In 1984,Rainier View Water Company (then Richardson Water Company) agreed to install a water system. The source was to be supplied from an existing well drilled in 1983 and produced 250 gallons per minute (gpm). The well was inspected by Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) on November 15, 1983 and found to be satisfactory.
In May 1985, Rainier obtained approval from DSHS to construct the water system. The system consisted of a 10,000 gallon and 15,000 gallon steel standpipe storage tanks, a domestic booster pump station, a fire flow pump, and a 1,200 gallon ASME code pressure tank. In January 1986, Rainier received a 5-year extension from Pierce County Fire Marshal's Office to provice the balance of the storage requirements. Distribution for Phase 1 was installed.
In 1987, Phase II was constructed. The system at that time was designed as a single pressure zone. However, homes were constructed on the higher elevations in 1988. A booster pump station was installed near the top of the ridge in an underground vault to provide service to the 24 lots at the higher elevation. Rainier view after the installation of the booster pump station, installed a pressure reducting valve on the hill going down to the lower lots to lessen the possibility of damage to water lines or properties if there was a line break.
A third reservoir (100,000 gallons) was installed in June 1995, which satisfied the five (5) year extension from the Fire Marshal's office. Also in 1995 a second fire flow pump was installed and a 60KW emergency generator was installed. A fence was installed around the pump and storage facility in 1995.
In 2008, the booster pump located near the top of the ridge was replaced with a new booster pump station located next to the existing booster pump station at the well and tank site. It consists of two (2) variable frequency drive (VFD) 3 HP vertical multi-stage booster pumps capable of delivering 30 gpm @ 250 ft of total dynamic head (TDH). The system was designed to add a third booster pump if future irrigation demands dictate it is needed. A by-pass around the booster pump station with check valves was installed to allow the fire pumps to feed the upper pressure zone.
The water system as of 2014, consists of one well, two reservoirs, two booster pump stations and two pressure reducing valves. It is comprised of mostly 6-inch and 8-inch water lnes and some 2-inch lines. The three reservoiurs have a combined capacity of 125,000+/- gallons. The overflow on the reservoirs is 275 feet above sea level.
The well is 246 feet deep with a wellhead elevation of 250 feet. The 20 feet of well screen is just above sea level. The static water level is 200 feet below the surface. The well was origionally designed wtih two 5-HP pmps in the 8-inch well. A single 15HP pump was installed by Rainier.
The water system is designed with three different pressure zones. The upper zone (Zone 3) serves 24 single family residences using a booster pump located at the well and tank site. The middle pressure zone (Zone 2) serves most of the remaining system and is served by the larger booster pump station. The lower pressure zone (Zone 1) is serves a few homes located near sea level on Horsehead Bay. This zone is fed through a pressure reducing valve located at the end of cul-de-sac of 105th Ave NW.
The water system is approved to serve 84 residential homes. Presently, there are 83 paying customers. Some of these lots are still vacant.
If you have any questions regarding the water system, don't hesitate to contact the Water Board using the form at the bottom of the page.
Water Quality
Our water quality is second to none. There is no need to treat or chlorinate our water. Water samples are taken monthly to test for microbiological contaminants. Other tests are run annually and others are done according to a schedule set by the State Department of Health (DOH).
The DOH maintains a database system where all test results are recorded. This system generates a Water Quality Monitoring Schedule (AQMS) which contains a list of what tests are required and when the tests are to be done. A link to one of these reports is listed below. Peninsula Light Co.(PLC) Water Department personnel establish and manage the test program for the year based on the test requirements in AQMS. At the prescribed time certified PLC technicians take the samples and send them to a certified test lab which sends the results to the DOH. The DOH monitors the test results and updates the data in the database. The DOH database is available on-line. Test results are also sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which monitors water quality of all systems in the United States.
Per DOH requirements, Peninsula Light Co.(PLC) publishes an annual Consumer Confidence water quality report which is sent out to all homeowners on the system in early July. The DOH requires that any positive test results be reported. Test results that are ND, Not Detectable, such as the Herbicides and Pesticides test panels, which have never been detected, are not required to be reported. This is also the case for Gross Alpha, Radium 228, and VOC tests. In additon to the DOH requirements, PLC includes results for a few Secondary Contaminants of interest such as Chloride, Fluoride, and Manganese, which are all analytes of a Complete Inorganic Chemical(IOC) Test. Hardness, Sodium and Turbidity are also part of a Complete IOC. The DOH schedule for the Complete IOC is required every 9 years.
Although nitrate is included in an IOC test it is also required to be tested annually. It is listed separately on the WQMS because of the different sample frequency. Iron and arsenic as well as other analytes (29 total in an IOC) may also be required to be tested at a different frequency than a Complete IOC. While some tests have standard test dates others may vary based on the test results. Also the DOH will change their testing requirements from time to time. This is why tests will show on the schedule one year and not the next.
As you can see water quality is taken very seriously. It is monitored on a continuous basis by multiple dedicated computer systems and personnel locally and at the state and national level.
If you have any questions regarding water quality or any other questions about our water system, please send us an email at to 
Water System Related Links and Documents
Links
Contact the Water Board
To contact the Water Board, please send an email to
