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Pewaukee reports pump, well and lift-station repairs; PFAS pilot to start
Summary
City staff reported a multi-step repair to the City Hall well pump and motor, the recent return-to-service of Well No. 8 after iron-bacteria treatment, the start of a PFAS pilot treatment, and ongoing lift-station rebuilding that will affect local traffic for a short time.
City staff told the Pewaukee Public Works Committee that repairs are underway after a City Hall well pump was pulled, inspected and rebuilt, but the motor proved damaged and required replacement.
A staff member described the failure: “There ended up being a hole just above the pump, about the size of a baseball. So that was our loss of capacity. It's about a 50 gallons a minute” (transcript). The city said parts and motor replacement were delayed by supply-chain issues; officials said an emergency authorization for the pump and motor had already been approved previously by the Common Council when the item was brought to them.
Committee members were told the rebuilt pump has been reassembled and motor testing is pending; the utility expects to resume distribution pumping after sampling is completed. Staff described ongoing conversations with the pump contractor to determine whether the motor failure occurred during removal and recovery operations.
On other operations, staff reported Well No. 8 had been taken out of service for maintenance because it was heavily plugged with iron bacteria. The committee was told crews completed acidizing and chlorination and that the well came back online two weeks before the meeting; a PFAS pilot treatment is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks.
Separately, staff said a lift-station rebuilding project is under way: a generator set is installed, PLC programming completed, roof trusses are expected soon and excavation and manhole work remain. Officials said detours for Watertown Road related to the lift-station access and manhole work could last an estimated two to three weeks depending on weather.
Why it matters: operational failures and maintenance projects affect near-term water availability and local traffic. The city noted prior council authorization for emergency pump replacement and said routine sampling will follow pump reinstallation.
