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ABSTRACT
The Vernon C. Russell Water Treatment Plant in Danvers, MA underwent significant upgrades between 2005-2014 to meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements and to replace equipment at the end of its useful life. Design and construction of the work was broken down into two phases: Phase 1 addressed urgent compliance and safety needs while Phase 2 addressed long-term comprehensive needs identified in their Capital Improvement Plan. Construction work was sequenced so that the plant was offline for only short periods of time.
History
The Danvers Water System was established by the Massachusetts State Legislature under Chapter 191 Acts of 1874. The main purpose of establishing the municipal water system was to supply fresh drinking water to the town of Danvers. As part of this enabling legislation, and since the water supply for Danvers was located in the town of Middleton, the enabling act required that the town of Middleton also be supplied with drinking water.
In 1876, the town and Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MassDPH) entered Into a contract. It stated that the MassDPH would construct and maintain a 5.4 million gallon (MG) storage reservoir on-site at the Danvers State Hospital for the Insane with water being supplied to both the state hospital and the towns of Danvers and Middleton. This initial development of the system by the town included the construction of a pumping station and transmission main to the then open top reservoir.
From 1876 to the early 1950's the water supply was pumped directly from Middleton Pond. In 1915, the town acquired the rights to withdraw water from Swan Pond located in North Reading and by 1958, Emerson Brook Reservoir in Middleton transitioned from a supplemental seasonal supply source to a permanent additional water supply transferring water to Middleton Pond during certain times of the year. In the late 1950's and early 1960's the town developed gravel packed Wells #1 and a wellfield at Well #2 which still serve as permanent water supply sources.
In the early 1970's poor water quality including color, taste, and odor issues became a frequent customer complaint. Prioritizing water treatment, the town contracted with Whitman and Howard to design a Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The WTP went online in June 1976 and was...