The City of Grand Forks is hoping to find a new well to expand its water capacity.
In a presentation to council today, capital projects manager Ben Stevens explained that city staff looked at water reports, aquifer studies, drilling records, and water quality data dating back to 1963 and provided all of that data to ISL Engineering.
The consultant collected water samples and flow tests from existing wells, old test wells, and a few private wells, and mapped water quality and aquifer characteristics.
The city also revisited five previous test wells drilled in 1977, 1999, and 2018. It found none of them suitable to be developed into full-blown wells, although Stevens said a couple could potentially be revisited if they were flushed and retested.
The city further considered various other sites independent of the contractor. Ultimately, 16 potential spots were narrowed down to five:
• Airport property at the far south end of 2nd Street
• The disc golf course on 68th Avenue across from No Frills
• Columbia Drive road allowance near Coalchute Road
• City-owned lot at 68th Avenue and 17th Street
• Airport property near Cameron Avenue, halfway between Como Road and International Road
Stevens said they have a $400,000 grant to do the work, and won’t spend any more than that, even if it won’t cover drilling at all five sites.
Depending on which sites are deemed suitable, the cost of developing a new well could range anywhere from $1.5 million and $3.4 million. While the cost of drilling is estimated at $1.3 million no matter which option is picked, the cost would go up depending on how much piping is needed to connect to the distribution system.
Stevens said the tentative schedule calls for the city to seek a contractor who would ideally do the test drilling in April and May. Consultant ISL would analyze the results in June and staff would return to council with the results in July.
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