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More than a month after a critical water well failed, the San Juan Bautista City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 20 to approve an emergency effort to repair the well.
The council committed up to $136,656, including a contingency fund, to repair City Well 5. The well failed on Sept.16, leaving the city with only one functioning well, City Well 1.
The city issued a statement on Sept. 18 asking residents to conserve as much water as possible as a precaution against shortages, followed by a similar request issued on Oct. 15.
“Water service remains uninterrupted,” the statement read, “but we are asking our residents and businesses to help us reduce unnecessary demand and preserve adequate water storage, particularly for fire protection, until the well can be safely returned to service.”
According to the city, water service currently remains available, and there are no known water quality concerns.
In a presentation to the council, City Engineer Jerry Sanguinetti said the well experienced a major equipment failure. City Well 1 is operating at full capacity to sustain the community’s water needs.
“Well 1 is unable to keep pace with demand,” he said, “placing increasing pressure on our water storage reserves. As a result, the city has implemented temporary water conservation measures, asking residents and businesses to refrain from outdoor watering and other nonessential water use.”
The city put Well 5 online in 2018. The city dug three previous wells, but were unreliable sources of drinking water.
According to a staff report included in the agenda packet prepared for the meeting, the well’s motor was removed and failed bench testing. A section of pipe removed at the same time showed external pitting.
A downhole video inspection conducted on Oct. 1 showed “deposits plugging portions of the upper two screened intervals and soft fill near the well bottom,” which require cleaning and rehabilitation before installing new pumping equipment.
Sanguinetti said the video also identified approximately 33 feet of lost accessible depth in the well, which records show was dug to 450 feet.
“It’s currently tapped out at 417 feet,” he said. “This only confirms the need to rehabilitate the well.”
Sanguinetti recommended the following bids from Salinas Pump Company as a remedy:
- Replacement pump, motor, column pipe, associated materials, taxes, and installation: $47,794.
- Well cleaning and rehabilitation: $63,862
Sanguinetti said that the project also required a $25,000 contingency to address “unforeseen conditions, additional repairs, or necessary modifications identified during rehabilitation and equipment installation.”
The staff report underlined the urgency of the repairs and the need for conservation.
The report said recent monitoring of Well 1 indicated that the water level changed from approximately 93 feet below ground level on Oct. 9 to 96.8 feet on Oct. 12, a loss of about 1.3 feet a day. The pump is installed at approximately 128 feet, leaving around 31 feet in reserve as of Oct. 12.
Sanguinetti said the city’s water enterprise fund has money for the repairs and recommended that the City Council declare the situation an emergency to expedite the matter.
“With only one operating well, any additional equipment failure or interruption could significantly compromise our ability to maintain water service and adequate reserves for emergency fire protection,” he said.
Sanguinetti estimated that the repairs would take about two weeks after funds have been authorized.
“Remember, it’s also the rehab of the well itself,” he said. “When you start to add chlorination and biological elements to clean and sanitize the well, you’re probably looking at anywhere between five and seven days, and then another week to actually install the new equipment.”
A post on the city website requests the following from residents and businesses:
- Refrain from watering lawns, gardens, and landscaping
- Avoid non-essential vehicle washing
- Do not hose down driveways, sidewalks, patios, or other hard surfaces
- Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads
- Repair leaks promptly
- Minimize all non-essential water use
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