City of Morgan Hill Water System Master Plan 2017

June 2017

4-1

City of Morgan Hill

Water System Master Plan

2017

City of Morgan Hill

4.0

CHAPTER 4 - EXISTING DOMESTIC WATER FACILITIES

This chapter provides a description of the City’s existing domestic water system facilities including

the existing wells, pressure zones, distribution mains, storage reservoirs, and booster pump

stations.

4.1 EXISTING WATER SYSTEM OVERVIEW

The City’s municipal water system consists of 16 active groundwater wells, 12 storage tanks

totaling 10.5 million gallons in storage, distribution mains, and fire hydrants. The City’s topography

is generally flat in the center of the City with increasing slopes on the east and west; based on this

topography, the water distribution system is comprised of 20 pressure zones.

The City’s existing domestic water distribution system is shown in

Figure 4.1

, which displays the

existing system by pipe size. This figure provides a general color coding for the distribution mains,

as well as labeling the existing wells and the storage reservoirs.

4.2 SOURCE OF SUPPLY

The City currently uses groundwater as the sole source of supply. There are 16 active

groundwater wells in the City that are used for supply (

Figure 4.2

). During the preparation of this

master plan, City operations staff provided well capacity ratings. It should be noted that, over time,

well efficiencies may vary based on equipment conditions and groundwater levels. In periods of

prolonged drought, well efficiency ratings may decrease due to a decline in groundwater levels.

The opposite may occur in wet periods as well efficiencies may increase as the groundwater

levels recover. As such, the City should monitor the well efficiencies on a frequent basis to

adequately manage the groundwater supply. If periods of prolonged drought persist, it may be

necessary to construct additional wells to maintain adequate supply capacity.

Table 4.1

lists the

City’s current total rated supply at approximately 19.3 million gallons per day (mgd). Consistent

with the system performance and design criteria, the firm capacity was calculated as the capacity

with the largest well out of service. The firm capacity of the well supply is estimated at 17.2mgd.

It should be noted that the Butterfield well is located near the boundary of the Nob Hill and Boys

Ranch pressure zone; based on the existing pipe and valve configuration this well is capable of

supplying either zone depending on the operational requirements of City staff. Under typical

operating conditions it provides supply to the Nob Hill pressure zone.

4.3 RECYCLED WATER FEASIBILITY STUDY

In March 2016, a Recycled Water Feasibility Study (RWFE) commissioned by the City was

published, which identified potential recycled water users through a market assessment. As

identified in the market assessment, the potential future users of recycled water in the City include