Gates County accepts funding offer for replacement Well 2A; manager says well could be active by July

The Gates County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to accept a funding offer to replace Well 2A and heard a timeline update from County Manager Scott Sauer on the well’s final construction and testing. The board approved the resolution after staff said relevant review requirements were met and that the funding offer and letter of intent were dated April 17.

The funding is tied to an existing appropriation of “SL 134” and, according to staff, was secured by Representative Bill Ward and Senator Bobby Hanig. County Manager Scott Sauer told the board that the offer and related correspondence were provided as a package and that the resolution before the body reflected the sponsors’ recommended narrative. “This resolution before the governing body is the next step in our process of having funds transferred within your existing appropriation of this SL 134 money,” Sauer said during his presentation.

Sauer later provided construction and testing dates for the replacement well: he said five screens are planned and that “we expect all of the screen material to be in place the by May 11th, meaning on the ground. We hope to have it installed hopefully within 9 to 10 days… We do the continuous pump yield test on June 12th and hopefully conduct the final water quality analysis on the 13th and we've been alerted testing at the lab analysis will take 30 to 45 days.” Sauer added that, on that schedule, the new well could be active in mid to late July. The manager also noted Gates County relies on groundwater supplies rather than surface water sources referenced elsewhere.

Board Chair Emily Truman called for the vote on the funding resolution; by show of hands the vote was unanimous. The resolution and the project timeline now move forward to the implementation steps outlined by county staff, including procurement, installation and laboratory testing of water samples. The board did not identify any formal water restrictions at the meeting; staff said groundwater supplies mitigate some near-term conservation concerns.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the tasks associated with the funded replacement well and the board will receive contracting and implementation updates as they become available.