Council authorizes deepening of cemetery well to add redundant water source

The Clarkdale Town Council authorized a well‑deepening contract for a town cemetery well and directed the town manager to execute necessary documents at the May 13 meeting. Council approved the action by voice vote.

Public works and water staff said the cemetery well was originally drilled to about 500 feet in 1996 and has not reliably met cemetery irrigation needs in the last year as groundwater levels declined. Staff (Josh, water resources) sought authorization to deepen the well to approximately 760 feet, recase the bore and remove and reinstall the existing irrigation pump so the well can be tested and potentially tied into the town’s distribution system.

Staff noted the following technical and budget details: - The work would keep the well as an 8‑inch casing and initial pump testing would likely be limited to roughly 20 gallons per minute while staff develops the new source; staff estimated a potential yield range of roughly 25–200 gallons per minute depending on final conditions. - Preliminary water sampling in October showed arsenic at about 6.6 parts per billion (ppb), below the EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ppb; staff said further sampling and state reporting would follow development. - The proposal uses a cooperative contract (City of Mesa contract number 2020112); the contractor name is listed in staff documents with two spellings in the transcript (KT Ventures and KV Ventures). Staff recommended authorization to proceed with the deepening contract; the staff report listed a budget impact line and the work was described as funded from the town’s water resource development account.

Council action: Council member Jones moved to approve the proposal and Council member O’Neil seconded. The council carried the motion by voice vote. The motion authorized the town manager to execute the contract for deepening the cemetery well at an amount not to exceed $66,673.91.

What it means: If testing confirms water quality and production, staff said the deepened well could serve as a redundant source for the system with low additional treatment cost and short pipeline distance to an existing 8‑inch main. Staff emphasized that final equipment specifications and any additional treatment would be determined after development and testing.