Temporary water source put on hold: Engineers: Reservoirs have ‘experienced a large gain’

LOCK HAVEN -- The City of Lock Haven has halted the implementation of a temporary water source due to a rise in levels at Ohl Reservoir in Greene Township.

Council met with members of Suburban Water Authority and Central Clinton County Water Filtration Authority on Monday night to hear an update from city engineer, Gwin Dobson & Foreman.

According to Devin Jerret, water levels at Ohl Reservoir have seen significant improvement.

"Currently we have experienced a large gain in the reservoir... since the beginning of December," he said.

When a temporary water source was considered and implementation began, he said the water supply was in Stage 2 of drought trigger.

"Currently, this has continued to progress towards a Stage 1 drought trigger, which has decreased the concern for a water emergency," he said.

Jerret said water usage has remained relatively unchanged, with 2.85 million gallons per day used throughout the system.

Leak detection surveys are still continuing as well within the system, he said.

Due to this, the need to pursue a temporary water source and request a stream flow reduction between Ohl and Keller Reservoir in Wayne Township, have been deemed unnecessary at this time, Jerret said.

However, he noted most of the temporary water system has been installed and can be used if necessary.

GDF representative Jim Balliet offered further detail into the decision to hold off on implementing the water source at this time.

"Ohl Reservoir has a capacity of 558 million gallons and we've gained enough here in the last month and a half, two months, it's now around 400 million," Balliet said. "We're basically at 72 percent of the reservoir... almost out of the Stage 1 drought triggers for water restrictions."

"Mother Nature has been good, we received rainfall and snowmelt that has taken us out of that emergency situation," he continued.

Balliet said the decision to not implement the groundwater wells, even temporarily, is a good thing - and the quick process to get them up and running has laid the groundwork for their use in the future when Keller Reservoir is upgraded.

"The exercise we went through in the last two months, trying to get these wells connected, has been very beneficial," he said.

According to Balliet, GDF received permits from the Department of Environmental Protection for the two wells and is expecting to receive its permit from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission this week.

"That's a huge hurdle to overcome in the permitting of these wells," he said. "When the city goes to permit these wells on a permanent basis, all that review by DEP and SRBC has already been completed."

GDF has also begun the work to ensure right-of-ways on various properties in Wayne Township that are needed to get the well water to the Central Clinton County Water Filtration Plan.

"We found some property owners that were less than willing to allow us to do what we needed to do," Balliet said. "So we've been working through those issues."

GDF has been able to work through issues with permits involving PPL and Norfolk Southern.

"We gained a lot from this exercise. As Devin said, the majority of the system is there and ready to go," he continued. "But because of the water that's in Ohl now, we feel it doesn't justify going any further."

Balliet said the plan is to keep the pipes and other equipment around and ready just in case the water system slips back into an emergency situation. The generators are the only piece of equipment that will be returned.

"Almost all of the equipment will be used the same with the permanent installation - the chlorine analyzer, the injection system and the well pumps will remain in place," Jerret said. "Actually a portion of the line along McKinney Road is in the Wayne Township right of way and that will remain in place. It can be used later."

"Some of the equipment is at the Clinton County Water Filtration Authority, the chlorine analyzers, those are currently in a certification period and they'll remain in operation at the filtration authority until we're ready to use them," he continued. "Most of this equipment is exactly what we'll use in permanent installation."