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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: David E. Schumacher, P.E.; Superintendent of Water Production
DATE: March 25, 2019
SUBJECT:
A Resolution Authorizing the Sealing and Abandonment of Well No. 8 for the Water Production Division.
PURPOSE:
To obtain City Council authorization for Layne Christensen Company (Layne), 721 W. Illinois Avenue, Aurora, IL, to provide all necessary services as described in Layne's proposal letter (attached) to properly seal and abandon Well No. 8.
BACKGROUND:
Located at 4 E. Benton Street, Well No. 8 was drilled in 1916. Until the current water treatment plant was placed into operation in 1992, Well No. 8 was a routine source of potable water for the city. Well No. 8 is not connected to the well collector piping network to the water treatment plant due to significant costs associated with installing the lengthy pipeline.
Since 1992, the well has been inactive (not supplying water to customers) and was subsequently designated by the State of Illinois as an "emergency well" (can only pump chlorinated water directly into the potable water distribution system in an emergency). The only operation of the well has been to meet the state's bacteriological testing requirements on a monthly basis, which requires 2 hours of operation, with the water pumped to waste. The well's pumping equipment failed in August 2014 while collecting the monthly sample and has not been operational since.
In 2010, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) recommended abandonment of Well No. 8 due to the presence of volatile organic chemical (VOC) contamination in the well's water. The IEPA also cited that the wellhead is below grade and must be corrected to avoid possible contamination from flooding of the wellhead prior to the well being placed back into use. For these reasons, Well No. 8 has been under consideration for abandonment by Public Works/Water Production for several years.
To summarize, installation of VOC mitigation treatment, ...
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