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Tumwater council unanimously awards $2.92 million contract to drill Brewery Wellfield production wells
Summary
The Tumwater City Council on April 21 authorized a $2.916 million public works contract with Schneider Equipment Inc. to install two production wells (with an optional third) for the long‑planned Brewery Wellfield, with construction expected to start late summer and initial water in the system by the end of 2028.
The Tumwater City Council unanimously authorized the mayor to sign a $2,916,412.60 public works contract with Schneider Equipment Inc. to drill two guaranteed production wells for the Brewery Wellfield and to hold a $998,856.60 allowance for an optional third well if needed.
Water resources and sustainability program manager Patrick Soderberg told the council the project has been more than 20 years in the making. City engineers and partners studied the aquifer and secured water rights; Tumwater now holds two‑thirds of the former brewery water rights and Olympia holds one‑third. The city received an extension from the Washington State Department of Ecology through 2041 to place the wells into beneficial use.
“We will be drilling down to about 400 feet,” Soderberg said, noting the lower aquifer is expected to contain iron and manganese that will require treatment. The city plans a pilot study and an on‑site treatment plant near Cleveland Avenue once water quality testing and pump tests determine production and treatment needs.
Council discussion focused on timing, cost and impacts to the golf course where the wells will be sited. Soderberg said drilling would be staged to minimize disruption during play, that heavy equipment would be restricted to certain hours, and that the treatment facility would be a jointly operated asset for Tumwater and any future partners.
Mayor Pro Tem Kelly von Holtz moved to authorize the contract and withhold funds for the optional third well unless later approved; Council Member Joan Cathy seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
The city’s FY26 drinking‑water capital budget includes $3 million for water production and treatment; the contract award is within that allocation. The contractor expects to begin work late summer or early fall, with approximately six months to complete the first two wells and an additional 90 days for the third well if authorized. City staff said they hope to have the treatment plant operating and water into the distribution system by the end of 2028.
Next steps include water‑quality testing, a pump test to confirm production per well, design of the treatment plant and coordination of interlocal agreements should Olympia or other partners take capacity from the wells.
