Quality, Quantity Both Concerns For Fairbury Water

By Gordon HopkinsWater sources for the City of Fairbury are struggling in both quality, due to increasing nitrates, and quantity, due to ongoing drought conditions decreasing groundwater levels. At a meeting of the Fairbury City Council on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, water superintendent Gregg DeFrain noted this is a statewide problem, “I would just like to reiterate that, along with the well levels dropping, Fairbury is not the only one. Same thing with the nitrates.”Craig Reinsch, lead engineer for Olsson, presented the results of the preliminary engineering report regarding water system issues at a meeting of the Fairbury City Council on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.The City of Fairbury’s drinking water comes from two sources, Crystal Springs and the East Well Field.According to Olsson’s report, the Crystal Springs high service pumps and East Well Field firm capacity is 3.744 mgd (million gallons per day). Capacity of the two water sources meets Olsson’s estimated requirements for future (2.43 mgd) peak day and fire flow demands, together with the city’s available storage (3.5 mgd).Biofilm at Crystal SpringsWhile Crystal Springs was the city’s primary water source, that well has been offline since 2020 due to biofilm plugging the cartridge filters.Biofilm is a collection of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and also to a surface.Last year, the Fairbury City Council approved a budget $70,000 for the cleaning and disinfecting of the Crystal Springs Well Field and gallery. While the entirety of the budget was spent, the biofilm problem largely remains. Last year, City Councilperson Brian Schmidt, who is also chair of Fairbury’s Water Sourcing Committee, advised FJN via email, “We failed to get the biofilm under control in the west half of the gallery. However we now believe the biofilm is no longer in the east half.”The report from Olsson suggests water can be drawn from the east half of the well and recommends the city focus on getting Crystal Springs back online, “The East infiltration gallery was identified as being able to operate without plugging the cartridge filters. The West infiltration gallery has the most biofilm and has recently developed a hole in the floor. Bringing the East infiltration gallery back online is anticipated to yield 400 gpm (gallons per minute).”Among the recommendations by Olsson are: The groundwater reservoir, Crystal Springs transmission main, high service pumps, and interconnecting piping will need to be cleaned, disinfected, and tested before returning them to service. To address biofilm issues, it is recommended that treatment is added at Crystal Springs using either media or ultrafiltration (UF), which will allow backwashing of the filters. New treatment equipment will not fit within the existing building, and a new building is preferred to a renovation. To confirm best methods for biofilm removal, a pilot-test is recommended. The Crystal Springs transmission main into town was recommended and designed to be replaced. An electronic investigation of the pipelines is being considered to better define existing pipe integrity. Replacement of the pipeline can then be more accurately considered.Nitrates at the East Well FieldAs a result of closing down of Crystal Springs, the East Well Field has been the City of Fairbury’s primary water source since 2020. However, the East Well Field has been used which has shown increased nitrate levels over time.The maximum level of nitrates in public drinking water allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 10 parts per million (ppm). All three wells have approached that limit.In the past, the city examined the possibility of a treatment plant to extract nitrates from the water but the difficulty is that those methods result in high quantities of wastewater that would require disposal.Reinsch said at the meeting there was an alternative worth exploring, “We do have a newer technology that ended up being the lowest long-term and short-term cost, which is biological nitrate removal, which has a less aggressive waste stream than reverse osmosis or ion exchange that would have to be disposed of. This, you can just send right to the sewer without upsetting the plant.”Reinsch recommended a pilot-test to study the viability of such an approach, “We’re proposing a one-and-a-half to two-and-a half-a month pilot study that would be completed this year, and then we are looking at a pipeline inspection of the transmission main from Crystal Springs to see if there are areas of concern that would give us a pretty good report and handle on any potential issues there.”Funding SourcesReinsch emphasized that the Olsson report as presented is still just a draft. The report also notes that some funding is already available but more would need to be requested.Existing funding:• The City of Fairbury received a Qualified Census Tract (QCT) grant of $1.0 million with a $3.12 million match requirement to address source water issues.• There is also $2.18 million remaining from an existing Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Up to $1.635 million can be used as the QCT match.• A supplemental SWSRF loan offer of $3.6 million, with a 25 percent loan forgiveness, can also be used for the QCT match.• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural development funds of $4.67 is not specifically listed as available for QCT match but the an amendment can be requested.This leaves a total of $11.45 million available.Olsson will submit additional funding requests of between $9.2 to $15 million from DWSRF. The Olsson report notes, “A loan is possible but additional loan forgiveness has yet to be determined or offered.”The city counsel approved bidding and piloting of three technologies, two for biofilm control and one for nitrate treatment. It was noted that $165,000 was left over from an aborted attempt to bring an abandoned well at I Street in Fairbury back online. That money can go towards the pilot-testing.

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