Emery Town wells fail camera inspection, and a new source could cost $6 million or more
Minutes of the Sept. 9 council meeting say a camera inspection found one well casing collapsed and the other structurally damaged, and the mayor put the cost of a new well and treatment at $6 million or more.
Based on reporting by Emery Town. Read the original story →
Emery Town's two wells are in poor condition, Mayor Jack Funk told the Town Council on Sept. 9, according to the meeting's posted minutes. Funk gave the water task force's report: a camera inspection found that the 5-inch well casing collapsed at 37 feet, which made that well unusable. The 10-inch well reached its full depth, but the minutes say it has structural problems serious enough that installing a new pump would risk further failure. [1]
Funk estimated that drilling a new well and building the purification needed for manganese, arsenic, iron and sulfur in the water would cost $6 million or more. The minutes say he did not consider it advisable to invest that amount in the existing source and that the council would keep looking for better alternatives. A council member who is a research chemist offered information on a cast-in-place pipe lining technology used to rehabilitate pipelines. [1]
Funk also described a proposal from a private company, Fairview Resources, to supply the town with drinking, secondary and agricultural water as a byproduct of deep-well mineral extraction at depths of 5,000 to 15,000 feet, at no upfront cost. The minutes say the town would keep its water rights and land and the company would keep the extracted minerals. [1]
Concerns were raised about seismic activity associated with injection, as observed near Moab, and agreed to prepare more questions and set up a follow-up meeting with the company. The minutes note the proposal could present a conflict of interest with the town's engineering firm, Jones & DeMille. [1]
Funk said money that a special service district obtained on the town's behalf would be transferred directly to the town to manage. The council also heard that a town construction project is delayed because Build America, Buy America requirements are making it hard to source some plumbing materials domestically. [1]
Council Member Slate Stewart said an application for a $15,000 Parks and Recreation grant for a gazebo or pavilion that would serve as an outdoor classroom was nearly complete and due the following week. Council Member Melissa Durfey said a pioneer church property has a landscape plan that includes an amphitheater, and that current grant money is designated for planning only. Durfey also urged the council to promote emergency preparedness, noting that the town's call-out notification system is not working. [1]
Sources
This story was written by AI from the report by Emery Town, which has the full story. How we write stories.