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Floyd County officials warn of water-supply risk as PFAS grant is delayed, discuss drilling and well cleaning
Summary
PSA staff told county and town leaders that wells are declining, a PFAS-related grant decision is delayed several months, and drilling a new, high-capacity well would cost roughly $350,000 (plus about $40,000 to drill a test hole); officials agreed to explore both new drilling and cleaning existing wells.
Floyd County officials said water-supply capacity is strained and that a PFAS-related grant the PSA had hoped to use is on hold for several months, prompting discussion of contingency funding and near-term technical steps.
"It's $350,000 we've got allocated for a potential cost for the well," Speaker 12 said, noting the authority would still need to find land and secure easements for a new, higher-capacity well. "It's $40,000 to drill a hole and see," Speaker 12 added when describing a phased approach of test drilling before committing larger funds.
Officials said wells' volumes have declined and that cleaning or rehabilitating existing wells could sometimes increase yield. "There are ways to clean these wells ... and they actually gained more water than they had when they first drilled the well," Speaker 8 said, while cautioning results vary and cleaning carries costs.
The group also discussed whether drilling now and seeking reimbursement from a later grant would be allowable; Speaker 8 recommended getting written confirmation from grant administrators because reimbursement rules vary. PSA and council members said they have completed planning studies and that grant delays now leave a funding gap that local reserves would need to cover if a major failure occurs.
Speakers agreed to pursue multiple tracks: ask grant managers whether drilling costs can be reimbursed, consider smaller pilot drilling efforts (test holes), explore well-cleaning for candidate wells, and identify near-term emergency funds so staff can respond quickly to failures without waiting for a formal meeting.
The meeting concluded with agreement to bring more specific proposals and cost estimates to the January joint meeting and to have county and town attorneys help structure any charter language that would support emergency funding authority.
