Cape Charles Water Capacity: Will the Keck Wells Help?

Cape Charles’ water-treatment plant can process substantially more water than the town’s two existing production wells can presently supply. The planned connection of two Keck Wells is intended to relieve that raw-water bottleneck, but key questions remain about current demand, permitted withdrawals, dependable well yield and how much growth the expanded system can safely support.

Cape Charles, Virginia –The Cape Charles’ water-treatment plant can process up to approximately 500,000 gallons per day, but the system cannot currently operate at that level because its two production wells provide only about 350,000 gallons per day of raw water.

Virginia American Water has contracted to connect the two Keck Wells, and pipeline construction has begun. According to Capital Projects Manager Bob Panek, the additional raw water should bring production “close to” the plant’s maximum capacity.

The system’s principal constraint and the intended solution. It does not establish current usage, remaining capacity during peak demand, the Keck Wells’ dependable yield, the project completion date, or whether regulatory limits could prevent the system from using the additional water.

In an email from Bob Panek:

• The treatment plant’s maximum capacity is approximately 500,000 gallons per day.
• The present limitation is the supply of untreated water—not the plant’s treatment equipment.
• The two operating production wells currently limit raw-water production to approximately 350,000 gallons per day.
• Virginia American Water has contracted to connect the two Keck Wells.
• Construction of the connecting pipeline has begun.
• Panek expects the Keck Wells to raise production capacity to near the treatment plant’s 500,000-gallon-per-day maximum.

This is generally consistent with earlier town records. A 2022 Town Council document described the treatment plant as having a capacity of approximately 500,000 gallons per day and the existing wells as limiting production to approximately 360,000 gallons per day. The difference between the earlier 360,000-gallon figure and Panek’s current 350,000-gallon figure is small, but it should be clarified rather than treated as an exact match. Town of Cape Charles, Aug. 18, 2022 agenda material

Important clarification about the “90%” figure

The earlier high-percentage figure appears to describe a peak-production day, not average annual water use or a permanent utilization rate.

Town records state that production reached 347,000 gallons on July 5, 2022, equal to 96.4% of the then-stated 360,000-gallon daily well limitation. Mathematically, that percentage is correct:$$347{,}000 \div 360{,}000 = 96.4\%$$

That does not mean Cape Charles used 96.4% of its capacity every day. A meaningful assessment of capacity requires at least:

• average-day demand;
• peak-day demand;
• maximum-day or design demand;
• water losses or unaccounted-for water;
• operational reserve; and
• projected demand from approved and anticipated development.

The 2022 peak is useful evidence that the existing wells have operated close to their raw-water limit during high-demand conditions. It is not enough, by itself, to determine how much development the system can support.

What remains unclear

1. Current demand: The town did not provide average-day or peak-day production for 2025 or 2026.
2. Usable reserve: The difference between the 350,000-gallon raw-water limit and current demand remains unknown. A system generally cannot regard every gallon between average use and maximum production as freely available capacity.
3. Reason for the 350,000-gallon limit: It is unclear whether this is a combined physical well yield, a conservative operating limit, a treatment or pumping constraint, or a regulatory withdrawal limit.
4. Keck Wells yield: Mr. Panek said the wells should bring production “close to” 500,000 gallons per day but did not state their tested individual or combined sustainable yield.
5. Completion date: Construction has started, but no anticipated in-service date was provided.
6. Reliability and redundancy: It is unclear whether 500,000 gallons per day would remain available if the largest well or another critical component were out of service.
7. Development capacity: Will the new wells actually turn the anticipated increase into equivalent residential connections, projected population, or specific development commitments.
8. Distribution constraints: Additional source water does not necessarily resolve water-main, pressure, storage or fire-flow limitations within the distribution system.

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Wayne Creed

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