SOLEDAD — Nor-Cal Pump and Well Drilling Inc. is the new construction services company in charge of the Well #6 Rehabilitation Project, following the Soledad City Council’s approval of a contract on July 5.
The City of Soledad has five wells with water levels ranging from 750 to 1,200 gallons per day. Two water wells are located on San Vicente, one by Foods Co., Vosti Park and Well #6 is located in the middle of the city near the Little League Park.
According to Public Works Director Donald Wilcox, there are also four storage tanks each with a million gallons that serve two zones, the higher elevations in Soledad are served by the two higher tanks, and the La Cuesta tanks serve everything on the lower side of Gabilan. Booster pumps take the water from the storage tanks to the water wells and there are also two pressure releasing stations that bring the water levels back down in the wells.
“Well #6 has ceased pumping water,” Wilcox said. “It still runs but it doesn’t have any water to the system. We’re trying to make another year out of that, especially since Well #9 is still out of service.”
Well #6 is the smallest well and also the central well that was last serviced in 2003. The only item that Well #6 doesn’t need replaced is the motor. The well needs a new pump, drive shaft, casing pipe, a sounder to read the water levels and all the bearings.
The City of Soledad received three bids for maintenance of Well #6 with Nor-Cal coming in as the lowest bid at $159,964. City Council member Anna Velasquez asked whether there was concern about the ongoing maintenance of the water wells and developing guidelines for those repairs to keep the city from having to do more costly repairs when the well can’t function.
According to Wilcox, the city does have those guidelines of checking the wells every five years and rehabilitation every 10 years, although in recent years there has not been the revenue to do that. The city is using stainless steel staffing, dry shafts and carrier piping that Wilcox says should last longer.
The city is also working on Well #9 that went out of service and the City Council authorized rebuilding the well, and putting in a water treatment system that should be happening this week.
Well #7 went down in the summer of 2014 and had an emergency repair. According to Wilcox, the well will also need maintenance after Well #6.
The contract was approved by the council unanimously.
