Update on the Ward 2 Water Production Wells – Revised December 20, 2023

Sussex wishes to advise residents of Ward 2 of its ongoing schedule to complete preventative maintenance on Well 3 of the Ward 2 Water Distribution System between November 20th and December 20th and our status of ongoing work to conduct this maintenance. The Town’s work plan to address and to introduce preventative maintenance on the Ward 2 water production wells as approved by Sussex Council is currently nearing completion. To summarize the Town’s project steps and to provide insight on the status of the work plan and progress in execution thus far on the Ward 2 water supply wells the following information on our progress is itemized as follows:

1. Ward 2 water system upgrade on Leonard Drive is complete and has been fully operational since November 01, 2023. The new Town now has options to feed potable water in areas of the new community should changes be necessary in both Wards of the new Town.
2. The temporary changeover of the supply wells from Ward 2 to the Ward 1 supply has been completed and the change in water supply has been in service since October 24th, 2023. The service area experiencing this change in service is described as the subdivisions off Main Street from All Seasons Restaurant to Sussex Corner Elementary School. The water distribution system change has provided the opportunity to complete needed preventative maintenance on the Ward 2 – Well 3. All calls related to water color have ended. The Town will continue this method of operation until the first week of January 2024 and at which time the Town will reverse the operational changes necessary and bring online Well 3 in Ward 2. It is believed a switchover during the week of Christmas may introduce operational issues and minor service interruptions that are not needed during the holiday season.
3. Well 3 remediation efforts ended on Friday December 8th, 2023. The pump and poly feed lines were reinserted in Well 3 early in December. A new pump assembly was installed and as well the existing pump has been refurbished and placed onsite as an operational backup unit should the Town have issues with the new pump system. The Town’s operations staff have begun testing requirements to insure potability of the water supply on December 11, 2023, and our efforts are nearing completion as of December 19th, 2023.
4. Mitigation efforts on Well 3 have been able to increase specific capacity of this well by 57% to a value near when the original well was commissioned in 2003. Specific capacity is a measure of the pumping rate (yield, production) divided by the drawdown. It is a very valuable number that can be used to provide the design pumping rate or maximum yield for the production well.
5. Assessment of the 2023 mitigation will establish a future preventive maintenance schedule of intervention will be scheduled to prevent reoccurrence, if possible, and it is believed the Well 3 process completed in fall of 2023 should be scheduled every 5 to 7 years. A review of the former Village of Sussex Corner maintenance records provided no tangible information of any preventative maintenance practices on Well 3 apart from the required potability testing. While testing was completed no analysis of the testing results was evident nor recorded for exceedances beginning in 2021, and any discussion of necessary intervention steps that would normally be triggered in the summer of 2021 were never contemplated. Correction of these practices began on July 29th, 2023, and will continue as standard operating procedure in the new Town in Ward 2.
6. Future assessment, operational changes and recommendations of all three production wells in Ward 2 will be reviewed with Sussex Council in the first quarter of 2024.
7. Ward 2 – Well 2 has been successfully remediated and our consultants believe they have successfully addressed the turbidity issues experienced when operating this production well. A continuous turbidity monitor has been purchased and is now installed. The Town has completed underground piping changes necessary to add a new Chlorine monitor on Well 2. This equipment has been required since April 2020 and was installed in late November 2023.
8. Ward 2 – Well 2 will be operated and the water production will be sent to waste to begin the process of establishing a continuous record of water quality parameters and to provide time for the Town’s water operators to assess live data prior to deciding to place this production well back in service. Operationally the Town wishes to secure 1 to 2 months of data prior to placing Well 2 back in service.
9. Work on the installation of a turbidity monitor and chlorine monitor for Ward 2 – Well 1 has now been completed and the well is in service. This equipment has been required since April 2020 and was installed in November 2023.
10. Work on the turbidity monitor and chlorine monitor for Ward 2 – Well 3 is nearing completion. The monitors are installed in the Well House and are currently being connected and programmed prior to Well 3 being placed back in in service. This equipment has been required since April 2020 but had not been installed.
11. Early in January the Town will complete the necessary SCADA programming to begin the recording of testing results of all online recording equipment for both chlorine and turbidity to our central computers. All three production well’s monitoring systems will be operational, and the trending recording will be programmed at the same time by a third-party consultant specializing in PLC programing logic.
12. Ongoing work with the Departments of Health and Environment and Local Government to consolidate both the former Town’s and former Village Approval to Operate a Water Distribution System is underway.
13. The Town to date has spent $381,896.57 on mitigation and preventative maintenance efforts on all three water production wells in Ward 2 in 2023. This expenditure includes the purchase, installation, and programming of the required monitoring equipment for all three production wells.

Sussex Council will continue to monitor all progress regarding the Ward 2 wells and will be reviewing a status report during their January meetings. A copy of this report is attached for anyone who is interested. Anyone who may be interested in further information or clarification may contact Sussex CAO, Mr. Scott Hatcher, P. Eng during normal business hours at (506) 432-4540.

S. M. Hatcher, P. Eng.
Chief Administrative Officer