Water Department

Water Department Foreman  Ben Davis  bdavis@cityofseaside.us

Backflow Inspector/Testor  Mike Maine  mmaine@cityofseaside.us

Water Treatment Plant Operator  Jim Gohring  jgohring@cityofseaside.us

Water Department Utility Worker  Dixie Weaver

Water Department Utility Worker  George Whitlock

As a City of Seaside water customer, you expect your drinking water to be completely safe.  The Seaside Water Department is committed to delivering you the highest quality and healthiest water possible.  To help assure these high standards the City has a cross connection control program, as required by EPA and the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS).  The cross connection program requires the use, regular maintenance, and inspection of backflow devices which prevent back siphoning of water through irrigation or fire suppression devices.  Such back siphoning could introduce harmful substances into your household plumbing or public distribution main.  Protection is assured through a special backflow prevention valve.  If backflow occurs, water would run backwards through your pipes and into the drinking water system.  This could potentially introduce contaminants to the drinking water system.  Fortunately, you can help make certain this does not happen.

• Irrigation Systems: Ensure an approved backflow assembly is installed, is in good working order, and tested annually.
• Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs: Ensure that if a water hose is used to fill these units it is protected with a hose bib vacuum breaker installed on the faucet.
• Residential Boilers: Ensure an approved backflow assembly is installed, is in good working order, and is tested annually.
• Private Wells:  Ensure that wells are not connected to a public water system.

Oregon Administrative Rules; Chapter 333-61-070 requires public water suppliers to carry out cross connection control inspection programs, discontinuing water service to customers who fail to install an approved backflow assembly where a potential cross connection may exist.  The device must be tested and certified annually by a certified testing company and the certification is to be paid for by the home or business owner.  For assistance with backflow issues contact Seaside’s cross connection control specialist at 503-738-5112.

DRINKING WATER SUPPLY

The main source for the City of Seaside’s drinking water is the south fork of the Necanicum River nestled in the west slope of the Coast Range between Sugarloaf Mountain and Kidder’s Butte.  The City’s water right on the south fork is for 8.0 cubic feet per second (CFS) or 5.2 million gallons per day (MGD).

During the summer, when demand is high and flows are low, the City augments its water supply from the main stem of the Necanicum at Peterson Point with a 7.0 CFS or 4.5 MGD water right.  The advantage to the south fork source is that water can be gravity fed to the 50 million gallon Peterson Point raw water reservoir.  Water must be pumped into the raw water reservoir from the main stem.

The City’s water is treated at the water treatment plant adjacent to the Peterson Point Reservoir.  The plant is an up-flow clarifier – anthracite coal filter system that has a capacity to treat 4 million gallons per day.  In addition, Seaside has two finished water storage tanks, a 2.6 million gallon tank off of Lewis & Clark Road and a 4.0 million gallon tank adjacent to the Peterson Point Reservoir.  Raw water stored in the Peterson Point Reservoir is pumped to the treatment plant from a raw water pump station located at the base of the earthen dam that contains three 1,400 GPM 50 HP vertical turbine pumps.  Prior to entering the treatment units, the raw water is dosed with a polymer coagulant and mixed through a static mixer.  From the mixer water is distributed to the up-flow clarifiers where the water passes through a bed of screen-supported media for mixing and flocculation.  After leaving the clarifiers the water flows to the polishing filter which is made up of layers of sand, fine garnet, and coarser anthracite coal.  Before reaching the distribution system the water is treated with calcium hypochlorite for disinfection, caustic soda to maintain a pH of 7.2 or more for corrosion control and finally sodium fluoride is added for dental health.

The distribution system in Seaside serves a permanent population of 6,100 people but must be capable of serving a much larger tourist-based population in the summer.  The piping system is comprised of 43.4 miles of water main of various materials from 2” to 24” in diameter.  There are almost 3500 water meters and six booster pump stations to provide service to the areas of the upper pressure zone.

The City of Seaside has an average daily use of about 1.8 MGD and a highest day usage of about 3.3 MGD.  Every year the City publishes and distributes to its water customer a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) outlining the water quality and water quality issues for the year.  For copies of the CCR’s or more information about Seaside’s water contact the Water Department at 503.738.5112.