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Englewood City board approves $149,600 contract to rehab deep groundwater well
Summary
The Englewood City Water and Sewer Board authorized a $149,600 contract with Granite Company to repair a deep groundwater well, a staff-led effort officials say will boost local water supply resiliency and allow the city to access water rights that have not been used for years.
The Englewood City Water and Sewer Board voted to authorize a $149,600 contract, including a 10% staff-managed contingency of $13,600, with Granite Company to repair and rehabilitate a deep groundwater well, city staff said at the board meeting.
City staff said the work will install a new 350-gallon-per-minute pump and motor at a lower position in the well, replace column and electrical piping, rehab the well casing and replace check valves to allow the pump to operate as aquifer levels decline.
Joshua Ferry, utilities engineer, said, "The capacity test concluded that the well will be viable for another 25 to 30 years without the redrilling" and described the site as accessible for construction. Ferry said the repaired well would allow the utilities department to extract the full water rights allotted to that well. In the presentation staff estimated the repaired well could yield roughly 350 acre-feet per year; staff also said that estimate corresponded to "just over 1,000,000,000 gallons" over a 10-year period.
Peter (staff member) told the board the City of Englewood owns three deep wells drilled roughly 30 years ago; two at the McClellan (McCollon) well site draw from different Denver Basin aquifers (the Arapahoe and the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifers). Staff selected the LFM-2 well for repair based on static water level trends and the capacity test. Ferry said the pump will be sized for a higher total dynamic head (roughly 1,250 feet) to remain productive as the aquifer drawdown continues.
Staff described the work as a rehabilitation rather than redrilling, noting an original drill would cost substantially more. The request followed an RFP posted in September that drew three proposals; a staff selection committee recommended Lane Christensen of Granite Company as the best overall proposer on experience, equipment and the rehab plan. Utilities staff recommended authorization of the contract for $149,600, including the stated contingency.
Board members asked whether other users draw from the Denver Basin aquifers and whether the aquifer is recharged. Ferry said other utilities and some private users tap the Denver Basin aquifers and that the basin is largely a depleting aquifer system, not directly recharged in the same way as surface alluvial systems. Peter said that owning the water right gives the city options: the water can be used as a resiliency backup for the city's supply or sold as part of a business-case analysis.
Board members also asked about water quality. Ferry and Peter said groundwater quality is generally cleaner than surface sources but can contain iron or manganese depending on the aquifer. On pH, staff said system water is kept around 8.5 to help protect lead service lines consistent with state guidance.
A motion to authorize the contract as recommended passed without recorded opposition. The board did not identify a named mover or seconder in the public record.
