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Client:
City of Renton |
Background
The City of Renton obtains most of its water supply from a shallow aquifer
under the mouth of the Cedar River. This water is pumped from six high-capacity
wells at combined rates that commonly exceed 10 million gallons per day.
Challenges
Because this aquifer is so shallow, it is highly susceptible to contamination
from activities occurring at the surface, particularly in the City’s
commercial and industrial areas. Potential threats have included underground
storage tank leaks, contamination originating from painting practices,
waste soil recycling, and underground gasoline leaks.
Approach
To provide an early warning of potential problems, we developed a monitoring
system after delineating capture zones for production wells using a groundwater
flow model we had previously developed for the area. We also identified
potential and actual sources of contamination. In addition, we designed
an extensive monitoring network for groundwater sampling.
Outcome
Our efforts produced a comprehensive, ongoing monitoring program that
will warn the City of imminent water quality problems.
Related Projects
Wastewater & Stormwater Recharge / City of Renton: Stormwater Planning
Wastewater
& Stormwater Recharge / City of Renton: Septic Effluent Loading Impacts