Politics & Government

Resolution Approved for Local Utilities Authority to Construct New Wells

The new wells will provide 1,500 gallons of water per minute

The township Planning Board unanimously approved a resolution for the Lacey Municipal Utilities Authority to construct two new wells.

After receiving a water allocation permit, the LMUA will be modifying its water treatment facility at Chelsea and Bayonne Streets in the pines for well seven.

The current system, for well one, provides 500 gallons per minute to the Authority’s system on a daily basis, Engineer Alan Dittenhofer of Remington Vernick & Vena said in November when the plans for the new wells were passed. That well, along with wells two through five, isn’t confined.

Find out what's happening in Laceywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“There is a chance that it can ultimately at some point be contaminated so the authority decided to proceed with that to have an alternate source,” he previously said.

With a confined well, contamination is minimal, he said. This well will contain iron filtration and chemical disinfectants, he said.

Find out what's happening in Laceywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“This water has been fully tested. It’s been proved by the state as a source. There is nothing in the source that would cause any concern or alarm,” he said, adding that the water being pumped out is 40,000 years old.

Additional property was acquired for wells seven and eight. For well seven, the water treatment plant at well one will be upgraded. There will be a building addition, well house and backwash tank, he said.

The well will have 1,000 more gallons capacity, he said.

Wells seven and eight are 1,500 feet deep, adding excess capacity, Chairman Jim Knoeller previously said.

The site at well seven will also be cleaned up, said Dittenhofer who designed the original building 25 years ago. Although the building will be renovated, architecturally, it will remain the same.

For well eight, which is currently a 100-foot-by-100-foot square vacant lot, a 209 square foot well house, generator and 12-foot wide asphalt driveway will be built, he said.

The well is located several hundred feet away from well seven, Dittenhofer said.

The well has been dug in the middle of the lot, he said. The facilities and fencing will be added to the site.

“It’s a pretty basic site,” he said, adding that the plans are “standard.”

An eight-foot high chain-link fence is required for security reasons, he said.

“All of our sites are monitored by closed circuit TV cameras now,” he said.

The LMUA has previously said that they are hoping the new wells will provide a form of rate stabilization to the township. 

Each well cost $1 million and a total of $2.5 million for treatment, he said. The main reason for installing two new wells was to maintain non-contaminate water and to offset increases.

Since the wells will provide more water than the township needs, the LMUA will look to sell water to neighboring townships, Knoeller said.

In December 2011, the LMUA expected the wells to be in service by the end of 2012.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here