Client: Scott Lake Maintenance Company, Thurston County, WA.

Project Specifications: Scott Lake is a small, natural lake about 10 miles south of Olympia, WA. For many years, the lake was surrounded by rural farmland and large single family homes and ranches. As housing development and construction of a nine-hole golf course began during the 1970s, three wells were sunk to provide drinking water for the lot owners and irrigation for the golf course. As the local population grew and demands on the water system increased, one well was abandoned and two more were drilled. Eventually, Hatton Godat Pantier was retained by the Scott Lake Maintenance Company to provide comprehensive water system planning. The plan identified the needs of the growing community and identified required improvements such as a corrosion control system.

Key Challenge: A number of the homes built within Scott Lake were constructed with lead-soldered copper piping. As a result, the naturally low-pH (acidic) water began leaching out the copper, damaging the pipes and making the drinking water potentially unsafe.

The Point of Difference: “The first phase of the project involved engineering a comprehensive water system plan and implementing measures to provide appropriate disinfection,” said Steve Hatton. “Then, we had to identify a solution for the corrosion and copper leaching problems. We developed both high-capital/low-maintenance and low-capital/high-maintenance options to raise the pH of the water. The lot owners chose the latter, and we helped them navigate the regulatory structure to qualify for funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).”