Water & Wastewater Evaluation

In 2015, Dufresne Group evaluated the existing water and wastewater systems for a planned expansion of an existing customer in the Exit 1 Industrial Park.  The evaluation included using the computer model of the Brattleboro Water System to estimate available fire flow.  Existing meter data, wastewater pump run times and drawdown test results were used to calculate the proposed wastewater pump cycle and velocity in the force main.  While this evaluation noted some deficiencies in the sewer force main, both the water and wastewater systems were found to be capable of serving the expanded use.

In 2017, the Town of Brattleboro requested further evaluation for a potential new customer with a significant water and wastewater demand.  The Town had replaced the wastewater pumps since the previous evaluation, requiring another drawdown test to confirm the new pump operating rate.  Current water meter data was collected, and a flow meter was installed upstream of the pump station to record flows for a 1-week period.  The wastewater evaluation revealed that the 5-year projected flow from the new user combined with existing flows would exceed the capacity of the existing wastewater pumps.  Additionally, the sewer force main was found to be undersized to handle an increased pump discharge rate.

For the water system, Dufresne Group used the existing water model to evaluate the effect of the new 5-year projected demand on the Exit 1 water storage tank fill rate.  It was determined that the tank would not be able to fill with a maximum day sustained demand.  In order to resolve this deficiency, alternatives were provided including replacing an existing 6-inch water main and installing booster pumps at the Exit 1 Industrial Park.