THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411090312
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
Due to sparse rainfall recently, the city has turned on two Western Branch wells to dilute rising chloride levels in water from the Northwest River.
It also is tapping for the first time an underground water storage system that had been set aside for such situations, city officials said.
The recent warm, dry weather has been bad for his business, said utilities director Amar Dwarkanath.
``I like the weather cold and wet,'' he said. ``Wet most of all.''
The chloride level in the Northwest River, which supplies most of the city's drinking water needs, reached 242 parts per million on Tuesday. When chloride reaches 250 parts, the water starts to taste bad, although it's still safe.
The city is using about 8.5 million gallons a day. Dwarkanath said he has recently been turning on one of the Western Branch wells every other day and pumping 3 million gallons to mix with the Northwest River water.
Starting today, Dwarkanath will turn on another well to pump 3 million more gallons daily as a ``bank'' of surplus water stored in an underground system.
By using the wells and the underground storage aquifer, the city will be able to pump less water from the Northwest River and the mixture will have lower chloride levels. However, residents in the southern section of the city will get more river water in their mix and therefore more chlorides.
One of the Western Branch wells being tapped has higher sodium levels than the river water, making it less desirable for people on sodium-restricted diets. But Dwarkanath said that is the well being turned on every other day, and the mixing will reduce the amount of sodium.
The city will keep pumping from the wells, Dwarkanath said, until the chloride levels from Northwest River water drop, or until the ``bank'' of stored water is depleted. The aquifer, which is filled with surplus Northwest River water during times the city doesn't need it, has about two months' worth of water stored in it, Dwarkanath said.
Norfolk utility officials said their reservoir levels have not dropped more than usual for the fall, and are actually higher than during the near-drought this time last year.
Peg Nelson, spokeswoman for the utilities department, said Norfolk's reservoirs are at 76.7 percent capacity, near the 12-year average for this time of 77.8 percent. Last year at this time they stood at 56.1 percent. by CNB