The town of Cape Charles approved a $67,260 contract with the firm GHD to complete the design and engineering plans to connect the Keck wells to the Water Treatment Plant (WTP).
The plant is operating near capacity:
Daily – 92.8% • Monthly – 91.9% • Annual – 91.3%
On July 5, 2022, it peaked at 347,000 gpd, or 96.4%.
The massive influx of tourism is pushing the plants to their operational limits. Additional raw water volume is needed as soon as possible to meet projected demand. The proposed Task Order No. 9 would complete the design and engineering to connect the two additional Keck wells to the WTP.
According to the staff report, the connection would increase raw water volume to about 500,000 gpd. The project also includes a finished water main in the same trench to supply the planned workforce housing development in that area.
Pushing further development is the priority for Cape Charles; the town manager and his staff have been focused on developing a long-term plan that would foster hardcore development in town–the water capacity is the most immediate concern.
A massive water main leak on Mason Avenue this week exposed some underlying problems with the town’s infrastructure which may need to be addressed as capacity is increased (local business has a lot to say about this).
Water Plant Quick Notes from 8/8:
The plant operated for 115 hours with an average daily operation of 16.4 hours
• 1,582,490 gallons produced with approx. 195,000 gallons used for processes
• 226,070 average daily production with a peak of 291,975 (leak) on 8/6/22
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how can the plant manage full buildout customers from bay creek?