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Osage Beach staff recommend drilling new East‑Side well after leak‑loss study and loop delays
Summary
Water department leaders told the board that heavy summer demand is pushing existing wells to long runtimes and that the city should drill a new East‑Side well to reduce strain and improve system redundancy. Staff also described a planned Gulfview loop project and noted the wastewater contractor sequencing that may delay parts of the water loop.
The water superintendent told the Board of Aldermen that existing wells on the city’s East Side run long hours in summer and that drilling a new well could reduce pump runtime and provide redundancy.
Caleb (water staff) said existing East‑Side wells sometimes run 14–15 hours daily during peak demand and that a new well could reduce that to roughly nine hours per day per well. He said the city could drill a well quickly and, if necessary, pump directly into the distribution system while tower construction or upgrades occur later. Staff said the engineering work would be bid and that construction timing could extend into the next calendar year depending on contracts and sequencing.
The department also requested a follow‑up leak study on the West Side: staff referenced a recent study that identified roughly 30 leaks and recommended repeating the assessment to help reduce unbilled water losses. The water superintendent asked for a tapping machine (able to tap 3‑ to 12‑inch mains) to permit some service connections without planned shutdowns and to reduce customer disruption.
Board members asked about timing, tower needs and grant options; staff said state revolving funds and other grants are possibilities but that the city must have projects and budgets in place to be competitive for those programs. No formal action or appropriation was taken at the workshop.
