Pump tests under way

Water pumps began running this week at the proposed Crystal Geyser sparkling water bottling plant site in Orland.

Conducting the tests at County Road 200 and County Road N is Malcolm Pirnie, a 100-year-old environmental engineering firm specializing in water engineering.

"The key to the test we are starting this week in Orland is to establish and benchmark what is referred to as a 'sustainable yield,' the pumping rate that can reliably be used over a long period of time without negatively impacting the aquifer or nearby private wells," Project Manager James Strandberg said.

The first step was monitoring water levels in 14 wells in the area. Three are on the proposed Crystal Geyser site — the test well and two monitoring wells, one about 100 feet from the test well and one about 1,000 feet from the test well.

Eleven are private wells: one within 500 feet; three between 500 feet and 1,000 feet; five between 1,000 feet and 2,000 feet; and two farther than 2,000 feet from the test well.

The next step is the pump test. Well monitoring will continue during this phase and is expected to end Tuesday.

Water is being pumped from at a constant rate of 400 gallons per minute, about four times more than the proposed average rate that would supply the Crystal Geyser plant, if the company determines that their criteria are met and the city approves the application.

The purpose of monitoring the wells during the pump tests, according to Strandberg, is "to document changes in drawdown while the test well is pumped."

Monitoring the monitors

Bradley and Sons, a drilling company established in Del Ray, is on site 24 hours a day to ensure the pump runs continuously and nothing goes wrong.

Chuck Rachal, who works the 12-hour day shift, said Thursday afternoon that he and his night-shift counterpart do hourly inspections to make sure the equipment and waterline are working properly.

Rachal said they also check the flow-meter regulator every hour, watching that it pumps at a constant 400 gallons per minute and adjusting it as needed.

Since the pump-test began Tuesday morning, Rachal said it has run steadily without adjustments. An automatic pressure transducer takes measurements at one-minute intervals, according to Jennifer Maxwell Hays, a project scientist for Malcolm Pirnie. The manual checks are done for assurance, she said.

Rachal and his co-worker also monitor the generator's fuel level and gauges, check the 800-foot waterline for leaks and make sure the nearby Tehama-Colusa Canal is not flooding, Rachal said.

Hays said someone from the Malcolm Pirnie also is on site every day, monitoring the system and letting the well-drilling experts know if something needs to be corrected.

The final part of the three-phase test will be documenting much water returns to the monitored wells after pumping stops.

"We are proceeding with all due diligence, for it is very important for the community, the protection of the aquifer and Crystal Geyser not to over-estimate the sustainable yield," she said.

Hays emphasized that "nothing has been approved yet — on either side," referring to Crystal Geyser and the city of Orland.