Emergency water well construction moves ahead

The City Council got a look earlier this month at the 768-square-foot pump house at the emergency water well in Rotary Park. A 60-horsepower submersible motor will be housed in the new building, which will be 24-by-32-feet and also contain three pressurized tanks with a total capacity of 3,000 gallons. The pump will be able to produce 200 to 250 gallons per minute. Rectangular in shape, the new building will have a single dormer and some skylights on the metal roof above a cedar siding.

“It will take on the appearance of a single-family home, so that it fits into the residential neighborhood setting,” said Rich Hefti of Roth Hill Engineering, the firm contracted to design the facility.

The city decided to drill an emergency well and build the pump house at Rotary Park after determining that there was a sufficient supply and quality of ground water underneath the Island. The well will be equipped with a back-up diesel generator located onsite as well as an adapter for a third energy source.

To date, $515,500 has been spent on the design and drilling. The estimated cost to construct the pump house is $810,000, making the entire project valued around $1.5 million. The city may fund the additional $1 million needed to complete the project by the sale of surplus utility property in the First Hill neighborhood. For more information on the project, go to www.mercergov.org/emergencywaterwell.

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