WaterWorks secures maintenance for 24-year-old deep well

Maintenance work has been approved for the Newton WaterWorks Treatment Plant’s deepest well, which has not been producing as much water as it should and at one point was forced to use a weaker pump after it was struck by lightning in February 2023. The cost of the maintenance was $193,800.

According to the council report, water wells require periodic maintenance. While most of this maintenance is completed by WaterWorks staff on the shallow wells, personnel do not have the equipment, tools or resources to complete the needed maintenance for the deep well, known was the Jordan Well.

Typically, maintenance is recommended every 20 years. The Jordan Well has been in service for 24 years, putting its maintenance four years past due.

The Jordan Well produces approximately 45 percent of the city’s water, which is used by both Newton citizens and Iowa Regional Utilities Association. In addition to the city’s own contracted water/wastewater engineer, Iowa Department of Natural Resources’s water supply engineer agreed well maintenance is needed.

Three qualified well contractors received proposals from Fox/Strand Engineering to complete the maintenance. The bids were opened earlier this month. Neither Grosch Irrigation Co. nor Gingerich Well & Pump provided bids. Northway Well Corp. provided the only bid of $193,800, which was approved in a 6-0 vote.

However, the action was not made without discussion. Council members questioned why maintenance was not conducted earlier. Jody Rhone, the utilities director for City of Newton, explained that the city would have likely ordered maintenance much earlier if it had been in control of WaterWorks.

Up until late 2022, Newton WaterWorks was managed by a board of trustees. The result of a public vote transferred management from the board to the city council, which was made at the request of the trustees. The city has been in control of WaterWorks for about 16 months.

“For whatever reason it didn’t happen back then,” Rhone said of the late maintenance. “With all of our projects in water we’re trying to be much more proactive and keeping on top of these things.”

One year ago, the Jordan Well was inexplicably struck by lightning, which severely damaged the 300-horsepower pump it had been furnished with. Staff were forced to use a spare 250-horsepower pump until it could be replaced. The incident first made staff seriously consider the addition of a second Jordan Well.

Rhone said the Jordan Well maintenance was not outright listed in the capital improvements plan. But the construction of a second Jordan Well was included. However, Rhone indicated future demand will determine whether the city will move forward with the second Jordan Well.

Regardless, the maintenance has to get done.

“Because of some delays with constructing the new Jordan Well and potential contract negotiations — whether we’re going to move forward with that or not — it pushed back the re-casing of this well,” Rhone said. “So we have to get the maintenance done.”

The maintenance, Rhone added, will help bring the Jordan Well back to producing as it should. The council report said the maintenance project includes: mechanically brush clean casing, acid development of the well, video inspection of the well, re-installation of the pump and disinfection of the well.

Council member Randy Ervin asked if WaterWorks has room in the budget for the maintenance and if there will be any projects that have to be pushed back as a result. Rhone said it could push some other projects back, but if the city cannot supply the water then it could have even worse effects.

“But what are we not going to do to make sure this gets done?” Ervin asked.

Rhone responded, “We’re probably going to push back some water distribution replacement projects a little bit. We’ve got several projects — about $35 million worth of projects — on the books for just out at the plant for our water supply, plant improvements.”

Some are maintenance projects. Some are to help increase capacity. Again, Rhone stressed, future demand for the city’s water will determine which of those projects move forward. Of note, no tax dollars will be spent on the Jordan Well maintenance; it will be paid for using water enterprise funds.