Residents were invited to an open house at the new Well #5 Water Treatment Plant on Buttercup Lane, as well as a free lunch by Shaw’s Marketplace courtesy of the city. Residents remarked that the facility was “impressive” and “interesting,” and some didn’t even know it was housing a well and water treatment system.
Mayor Steve Swanson said there was a good turnout for tours at the facility that blends in with the neighboring homes. “It’s quite a good deal for a small town like Prophetstown,” he said of the top-of-the-line water treatment plant and well #5.
The project officially broke ground in March 2023 and was closed out July 1, said Swanson, adding that it’s been producing water since April 17, 2024. He said the older well filtration system, built in the late 1970s, was getting worse each year and the repair parts harder to come by, so it was time to move forward and upgrade to the latest technology. The project cost around $6 million dollars, minus a $1.5 million dollar grant, and Leander Construction of Canton, IL was the main contractor.
From the outside, the facility looks like a normal house at the end of the cul-de-sac but once inside, the nature of its purpose is clear. Immediately to the left is the new well #5 pump, in the middle is the large tank for the water filtration system, and to the right is the operations and control center. The “house” contains the well, high service pumps, water heater, filter piping, a chemical feed room, restroom, and emergency shower/eyewash. It’s naturally cool inside, with no air conditioner needed, and rather noisy.
On a concrete slab in the “backyard” sits a $300,000 generator and transfer station to guarantee water even when power goes out, as well as a backwash tank. A safety switch for emergency personnel to disconnect power was installed on the cul-de-sac.
Swanson, Public Works Director Brian Strike, Sam Cole of Gasvoda Group, and Matt Hansen and Dan Loos of engineering firm Willett Hofmann & Associates were on hand to lead residents through the facility and explain how the process works, with many residents and even a few kids getting tours of the building.
Swanson explained how four cells in the large filtration tank use filters and media to lower the levels of naturally occurring iron and manganese. Strike said he and other Public Works staff received training during and after construction and installation to run the system, with labels in the control rooms helping. The system and laboratory run online, with real-time monitoring and alerts.
“You don’t get a better filter for iron and manganese removal,” said Loos as he stood next to the large tank that takes up most of the space in the two-story building. He explained how the system filters water, injects air for the backwash process, and adds chemicals to ensure the water meets states and federal guidelines.
Alderman Larry Dessing pointed out the old well and water tower near the new facility, originally painted orange for the Prophetstown Prophets. The nearby park was closed during construction but has since reopened.
Open House, Shaw’s Marketplace cookout, and Well #5 Water Treatment Plant Tours
The City also provided detailed brochures at the tours, which included the following information:
Water System History
Existing Water System Description – Prior to this project, the City operated a water system with two wells with a total capacity of 900 GPM. Water storage includes a 200,000-gallon elevated tank, and the water system consists primarily of 4”, 6”, 8”, and 10” diameter watermain. The water source comes from a shallow (176’) sand and gravel well (Well #4) drilled in 1977 and is high in iron and manganese. The water treatment for Well #4 included chlorination, polymer injection, and sodium permanganate injection to the raw water, then aeration and filtration, and chlorination, fluoridation, and phosphate injection to the filtered water.
Well #4 and Water Treatment Plant
The water supplied by Well #4 has an iron content of approximately 1.3 mg/l and a manganese content of approximately 0.8 mg/l. The old General Filter for iron/manganese removal filter for Well #4 was installed in 1978. The water quality from the filter was decreasing the iron content to approximately 0.4 mg/l and the manganese content to .026-0.390 mg/l. The USEPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) for iron is 1.0 mg/l and the IEPA secondary maximum contaminant limit (SMCL) for iron is 0.3 mg/l. Water with an iron concentration above 0.3 mg/l can cause staining of fixtures and red water problems. The USEPA MCL for manganese is 0.15 mg/l and the SMCL is 0.05 mg/l. Water with a manganese concentration above 0.05 mg/l can cause staining of fixtures, black water problems, and metallic taste.
The existing filter was not reducing iron and manganese below the SMCL, and the filter had been losing media, which required frequent monitoring by the City, and media had to be added when the depth decreased. Also, the existing filter used water only for backwashing, which doesn’t clean the media as well and uses more water during backwash than an air and water backwash system. The filter served its purpose over the last 40 plus years, but it was not feasible to rehabilitate the filter, as it used dated processed with many deteriorated components.
Well #3 also had high iron and manganese, but the site did not allow for the construction of a water treatment plant facility. The well was only used in emergency situations and the city added phosphates to the water to sequester the iron and manganese.
Water System Improvements
New Well #5 and Water Treatment Plant – The City of Prophetstown constructed a new well (Well #5) and water treatment plant for Well #4 and Well #5 to reduce the iron and manganese concentration below the SMCL of 0.3 mg/l for iron and 0.05 mg/l for manganese. This will give the City two water sources to be used on a daily basis in alternation while maintaining proper water treatment. The water system improvements include:
- Drilled new Well #5 with a similar well profile and Well #4. Well capacity is 500 gallons per minute.
- Constructed a new 3,950 square foot water treatment plant building which houses the filter and appurtenances, water treatment equipment and appurtenances, restroom, and lab area.
- The new water treatment plant building was designed to resemble the houses in the residential subdivision.
- Constructed a 600 GPM capacity gravity filter, Tonka Dualator Series IIIwith Simul-Wash backwash system, with filter control panel and remote alarm system (SCADA).
- Installed new high service pumps to send treated water to the water storage tank/distribution center.
- Constructed a new access road for access to the new water treatment plant from Jackson Street.
- Constructed a 26,000-gallon backwash storage tank with lift station to pump backwash to the City’s sanitary sewer system.
- Installed a standby generator to operate the water treatment plant and Well #5 during power outages.
- Installed a new water line from Well #4 to the new water treatment plant.
- Rehabilitated the existing Well #4 building.
- Abandoned Well #3 and the Well #4 gravity filter after the new Well #5 was operational.
Project Cost and Funding
The project is funded by an IEPA loan which included $1,250,000 in principal forgiveness (grant money). Therefore, the City will pay back IEPA approximately $4,929,000 over the next 30 years at an interest rate of 0.93%. A summary of project costs is as follows:
- Construction – $5,703,000
- Design Engineering – $210,000
- Construction Engineering – $266,000
- Total project cost – $6,179,000
Credit for the project is given to Mayor Steve Swanson, City Council members Larry Dessing, John Gibson, Josh Hovey, Ryan Inskeep, Greg Schmitt, and Danny Baker, city staff Brian Strike, Public Works Director, and Connie Jensen, City Clerk, and project engineer Willett Hofmann & Associates.
