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Council hears update on Well 89, treatment plant plans and recent water main break
Summary
Public works reported drilling progress at Well 89 and sand removal ahead of test pumping; council heard that the treatment-plant renderings and potential authorization to bid will be discussed June 2. A contractor-caused water-main break on Halsted temporarily disrupted service; contractor will be billed.
Public Works Superintendent Gary Peters told the Minnetrista City Council on May 19 that drilling at Well 89 has reached the Mount Simon formation, crews are completing sand removal and the city expects to begin test pumping and water sampling to determine treatment-plant filter media.
Peters said contractors requested an additional round of blasting to develop the aquifer and that the extra airlifting to remove sand will add cost and time. "The sand removal is taking place right now ... hoping to finish the sand removal this week, and then we can begin test pumping," Peters said. He reported the well project is about a month behind schedule because of winter weather and heavier-than-expected clay soils encountered during drilling.
Peters said the test pumping will establish an accurate flow rate and provide water samples that inform what filter media the treatment plant will need. City staff said renderings and internal drawings for the treatment plant will be presented at the June 2 meeting; council can authorize the ad for bid at that time or defer to the June 16 meeting.
The council also learned of a water-main break on Halsted that occurred when a contractor connecting a new house cracked a pipe during drilling. The break temporarily cut service to Pinnacle and Saunders neighborhoods; staff opened an interconnect with Mound to restore pressure and conducted system flushing. Seven bacteria samples were taken and more testing is planned; staff said the contractor that caused the break will be charged for repairs and response costs.
Council discussed system looping and additional interconnect metering with neighboring St. Bonifacius to improve redundancy. City administrators said task orders and modeling are expected in coming weeks to identify meter needs and system resilience.
Why it matters: Well development, treatment-plant design and system interconnects determine long-term water supply reliability. The immediate main break highlighted distribution vulnerabilities and the benefit of redundancy and metering agreements with neighboring systems.
