MONROE - The city's Well No. 3 should be back on line by the end of this week if water samples stay below state Department of Natural Resources standards for radium, Monroe's Water Utility Supervisor Mike Kennison said.
The well near the city's Water Department on 5th Street and 17th Avenue has been off-line since Dec. 31, 2009, after it was found to have exceeded the radium standard when it was opened for rehabilitation.
While its pump was being reconditioned, the well went through a scrubbing process.
Although Well No. 3 is still out of compliance, samples taken from the well so far are below the DNR standard.
The city well has to have four consecutive samples below the standard to reach full compliance.
The DNR requires the utility publish a notice, notifying the public of the well's status. Kennison said that notice will be coming soon.
The utility is also required to take Bac-T samples before it can be put back on line.
If DNR standards are achieved, the well should be ready for another eight to 10 years, Kennison said.
To bring the radium level below the DNR standard, the Monroe Common Council authorized Water Well Solutions, Oconomowoc, be hired for the initial maintenance work, to perform the airburst cleaning, well performance test and video inspection.
Water Well Solutions estimated the project cost at about $85,000, barring any major pump repairs or replacement assembly parts.
After the well was televised to record the condition of the formation and bore hole, the State of Wisconsin Geological Survey Department gamma-logged the hole to record background levels of radium indicators.
The gamma log is widely used in boreholes to identify changes in the physical characteristics of a rock down the length of a borehole.
The well was mechanically cleaned using the Airburst technique, using a high pressure, pulsating air gun to redevelop the open sandstone formation.
High pressure bursts are released throughout the entire open borehole to remove mineral buildup from the formation and fracture zones to fully expose the native formation.
The well was then televised to record how much of the formation had been opened up due to the airbursting.
A test pump was installed and water tested from only the top 700 feet of the well. Kennison said extensive sampling was done, and the results came back with all samples below the radium standard.
Kennison met with representatives from the DNR and explained the findings and the city's plan to bring Well No. 3 back online.
The DNR has authorized the utility to bring Well No. 3 back on line, but the city must continue quarterly sampling and have four consecutive quarterly samples below the standard to come back into full compliance.
The cost for Well No. 3 rehabilitation, as well as for other water utility projects, was included in the utility's five-year projection budget and in the city's request for a water rate increase submitted to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission Nov. 18.
The well near the city's Water Department on 5th Street and 17th Avenue has been off-line since Dec. 31, 2009, after it was found to have exceeded the radium standard when it was opened for rehabilitation.
While its pump was being reconditioned, the well went through a scrubbing process.
Although Well No. 3 is still out of compliance, samples taken from the well so far are below the DNR standard.
The city well has to have four consecutive samples below the standard to reach full compliance.
The DNR requires the utility publish a notice, notifying the public of the well's status. Kennison said that notice will be coming soon.
The utility is also required to take Bac-T samples before it can be put back on line.
If DNR standards are achieved, the well should be ready for another eight to 10 years, Kennison said.
To bring the radium level below the DNR standard, the Monroe Common Council authorized Water Well Solutions, Oconomowoc, be hired for the initial maintenance work, to perform the airburst cleaning, well performance test and video inspection.
Water Well Solutions estimated the project cost at about $85,000, barring any major pump repairs or replacement assembly parts.
After the well was televised to record the condition of the formation and bore hole, the State of Wisconsin Geological Survey Department gamma-logged the hole to record background levels of radium indicators.
The gamma log is widely used in boreholes to identify changes in the physical characteristics of a rock down the length of a borehole.
The well was mechanically cleaned using the Airburst technique, using a high pressure, pulsating air gun to redevelop the open sandstone formation.
High pressure bursts are released throughout the entire open borehole to remove mineral buildup from the formation and fracture zones to fully expose the native formation.
The well was then televised to record how much of the formation had been opened up due to the airbursting.
A test pump was installed and water tested from only the top 700 feet of the well. Kennison said extensive sampling was done, and the results came back with all samples below the radium standard.
Kennison met with representatives from the DNR and explained the findings and the city's plan to bring Well No. 3 back online.
The DNR has authorized the utility to bring Well No. 3 back on line, but the city must continue quarterly sampling and have four consecutive quarterly samples below the standard to come back into full compliance.
The cost for Well No. 3 rehabilitation, as well as for other water utility projects, was included in the utility's five-year projection budget and in the city's request for a water rate increase submitted to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission Nov. 18.