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City awards $288,563 contract for groundwater test hole at potential municipal well site
Summary
Council approved a contract with Ludorf & Scalamini to drill and evaluate a test hole near the high school (approx. 1,000 ft target) to assess water-bearing zones and arsenic levels; council discussed depth, arsenic testing and contingency plans if water quality is unsuitable.
The City Council voted March 18 to award a consulting and test‑hole drilling contract to Ludorf & Scalamini for $288,563 to investigate a possible municipal well site on the north end of the high‑school property.
Staff said the test hole will collect geologic and water samples at intervals (roughly every 10 feet) and is planned to go to about 1,000 feet to evaluate aquifer depth and water quality, particularly arsenic levels. "If it doesn't produce good quality water, you just fill it up and go — worst case it becomes a monitoring well," staff said, explaining a monitoring well would satisfy state groundwater‑monitoring needs even if the site doesn't yield a production well.
Council members asked how accurate the tests are for arsenic and whether drilling deeper to avoid high arsenic concentrations would be considered. Staff said deeper drilling (e.g., 1,500–1,800 feet) can sometimes avoid arsenic but adds significant cost and would require further council approval. The contractor selection followed an RFP and staff recommendation.
The motion to award the contract passed unanimously; staff said sample results will inform whether to proceed with a production well, select an alternate location, or rely on treatment/blending strategies.
