Lawrence & Associates

WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS

Project: Burney Basin Water Supply Analysis
Client: Three Mountain Power, LLC.

Lawrence & Associates provided detailed analysis of the Burney Basin aquifer for Three Mountain Power LLC in support of an application for certification of a 500-megawatt gas-fired turbine power plant.

• Comprehensive surface-water
• groundwater basin analysis
• Estimate of potential groundwater
• pumping impacts
• Process water management

Lawrence & Associates (L&A) provided a full suite of hydrologic services in support of the power plant certification in an environmentally sensitive area. Components of the detailed hydrologic analysis and evaporation pond design included:

• Preparation of a basin water-budget
• Calculations of well interference
• Assessment of groundwater/surface • water interaction
• Stream gauging
• Inventory of springs
• Radio-isotope analysis of spring
• water

In addition to the water supply analysis, L&A also performed a detailed analysis for evaporation of process water and disposal of solids. This included preparation of a draft Report of Waste Discharge for design of the evaporation pond complex.

Project: Water Supply Well Installation
Client: City of Redding

Lawrence & Associates provided drilling oversight and aquifer testing for two municipal wells for the City of Redding.

• Two 2,000 gpm wells
• Screen selection and design
• Yield calculations
• Water quality sampling

L&A provided oversight of the drilling and completion of two high-capacity water supply wells. The scope of work included geologic and geophysical test-hole logging, aquifer testing, geologic and engineering design, and oversight of screen and casing placement for the two new water supply wells. The two wells were approximately 500 feet deep with 16-inch diameter stainless steel screen.

Project: Townsend Flat Water Rights
Client: Townsend Flat Water Ditch Company

• Established beneficial use of water rights
• Facilitated diversion dam removal for anadromous fish access to spawning habitat

In association with the removal of Saeltzer Dam on Clear Creek, Shasta County, Lawrence & Associates assisted the ditch company establish the historical beneficial use of its water right in the absence of diversion records. This provided a basis for the ditch shareholders to negotiate alternate points of diversion or compensation for loss of the pre-1914 water right. The scope of work included evaluation of water use and historical diversions based on:

• Crop use
• Irrigation efficiency
• Livestock use
• Evaporation
• Ditch losses and other factors

Removal of Saeltzer Dam has provided access for salmon and steelhead to an estimated 12 miles of spawning habitat. Follow the link below to view a topo map of the reach of Clear Creek that has been opened up to spawning. (Red cross marks former location of Saeltzer Dam.)