Spring Fed Water System

[Golf1echo]

Currently working on revamping a spring fed water system and wanted to seek any advice.

The system has two spring boxes, one of which is dry...they are connected. They then run into two aprox. 300 gal tanks connected in a series. and then into the distribution pipes.

Phase 1: is to replace the primary water tank, rebuild the working spring box with a collar that extends the box above the surface and build serviceable non treated wood cover ( the idea is to keep the underground water source underground so it has less chance of being contaminated by surface run off/ fecal matter from the animals, and eliminate the possibility of small creatures crawling inside ). Treat the spring, water system, and distribution system with bleach, flush and test.

Phase 2: Replace the secondary water/ settling tank and connect to the other tank.

Seems like a testing schedule should be made to understand what levels of contamination might be at issue?

Note the system will hopefully be potable but if that is not the case water will furnish toilets and or provide water that can be boiled...

There is also a hand dug well and that will also be tested to see what water quality is. The tricky part there is I guess I will need a pump to get that water circulating, treat it and monitor. The rise from the bottom of the well to the fixtures is aprox. 30'...not sure what that pump will need to be? I do know with the well it will need to be insulated and pipes run under the frost line ( aprox. 3') for a year round water source.

Fixing the seasonal spring system is primarily to grandfather it and as a seasonal supply.

Any insights will be greatly appreciated!

[RCummings]

Golf,
Only second hand information about the spring. The boxes get contaminated, I haven't seen that system improved more than enclosing. Here springs are touchy sometimes when worked around they stop running. As far as the well we have a 1/2 horse stainless pump 100' down that brings water up the well bore and all the way uphill to our tank about 500 yards no problem. A solar pump system would likely work. We only get to the teens for low temps some folks use heat tape and pump houses to keep from freezing.
For drinking and cooking we use a water distiller, takes 5 to 6 hours to make 1 gallon of clean water. We run 2 and stay ahead of our water use. Back to my lane.

V/R

Bob

[JJ_BPK]

Sounds like a plan..

Suggestion(s)

If it was my system,, I would pipe the two 300G tanks in parallel rather than series. My thinking is that would allow maintenance on one while the other maintains flow,, and during low water seasons, there would be less "bottom of the tank spoilage"

Additionally,, What is your flow rate? 600G is a big reserve. Given a family of four,, maybe almost a weeks worth? Might want to keep one inline and the other offline?

And use excess flow to run a gen-set??

My $00.0000002

[Golf1echo]

JJ great eye for detail! Once I took out the one tank I noticed a bunch of pipe and valves...it seemed my Grandfather did just that, there is a pipe and valve going to the second tank and there is also a pipe which bypasses the second tank. I kept wondering why two pipes are potentially feeding one supply line, pressure, supply however the thought of two tanks working independently didn't occur to me.

It is one of the few canyons with water both as a creek flowing part way before it goes beneath the gravel from a flood in 1930's and with springs in the ravines. I suspect the Water Works were built in the later part of the 30's. So as to usage, between 6 or so cabins use would be considered low, occasional sink use, toilets, etc... as to flow from the spring I'm sure it is different depending on rains.

I would love to develop some hydro but probably from the creek.

RC in WNC there are many spring systems and I know they are variable with season and water tables changing. There seems to be an eco system that exists around healthy springs like crickets and craw daddies, while it is not an accurate indicator I was pleased to see the crickets.

So with the spring box it looks like there was a ditch on the uphill side to drain away surface water, it is about 6' behind and needs cleaning out, this should channel much of the surface contamination away from the spring box as well as building a lip around it. The existing tanks are aprox. 270 gal and the new tanks are 300 gal. The system is low profile so it is working on a relatively small elevation change at the Water Works then it drops down a good bit. I am removing years of dead brush and fallen trees above the water tanks to eliminate habitat for animals and will work the drainage so that hard rains will not flow over the tanks into the storage.

One question I may play with is to create a bio filter of sorts around the spring boxes with sand, perhaps that would further treat contaminates?

My house in WNC has a well and uses a 220 pump at the bottom then a pressure tank under the house. I do not have 220 electric just yet...it is a simple 110 probably less than 60 amps. It would be nice if I could use a solar powered pump for the well, I know there are limitations just don't remember the lift capacities.

[JJ_BPK]

What kind of critters living under that spruce?

[Golf1echo]

Exactly...that drainage can't enter the water tanks. only tea and coffee should be that color

[JJ_BPK]

I'd be planning a move for those tanks
OR
Get someone in to chop that sucker down..


A good gust of wind will push it over with a little more undercut.