Heath council awards $5.5 million contract for Town Center water well

The City of Heath on Tuesday voted to award the construction contract for Heath Water Well No. 1, planned at Town Center Park, to C. Miller Drilling for $5,497,777.

The project, as described by Kimley‑Horn consultant Kenny Fryer, calls for a potable well with a target production of 700 gallons per minute and an anticipated bore depth of about 3,420 feet. Fryer said five bids were received after the city rebid the project; C. Miller submitted the lowest responsive package that met the contract’s experience and documentation requirements.

Kimberly Horn of Kimley‑Horn and Fryer told council the base bid plus selected alternates include mobilization, drilling, well screen, pumping equipment, electrical and instrumentation, and disinfection. The council approved awarding the base and alternate bid items and authorized the city manager to execute the agreement.

Fryer and Kimley‑Horn staff recommended the award after reviewing low bids. They said the lowest bidder on the first solicitation had not demonstrated the comparable, deep potable well experience required by the contract documents; in contrast, C. Miller’s bid included supporting documentation and references that Kimley‑Horn deemed adequate.

The approved contract includes an accelerated drilling schedule. Under that schedule, drilling mobilization would begin in October, with the drilling operation targeted for completion by February and subsequent pump testing to follow in March–April. Fryer said a 36‑hour pump test would be performed (a stepped test he described as three 12‑hour periods at increasing rates) to verify sustained yield and aquifer characteristics.

Council members asked about the risk of a dry hole. Kimley‑Horn explained that if the well proves dry, the driller would plug and abandon the test hole and the city’s recommendation would be to cancel further equipment installation for that location rather than proceed. City staff said the city would then evaluate alternate locations as part of the planned future well designs.

The council motion to award the contract passed with a single opposing vote. The mayor and a majority of council members voted to approve the contract; one council member voted no.

The well is a central element of the council’s “water bridge plan” to increase local storage and production and to offset rising wholesale water and wastewater costs passed through by the North Texas Municipal Water District, officials said. City staff noted the well is intended both to add local capacity and to reduce long‑term reliance on purchased water as wholesale rates and district capital costs rise.