FARMINGTON – Dry wells at Mt. Blue High School and Foster Regional Applied Technology Center have prompted SAD 9 officials to hire a company to drill a well for the two schools, Superintendent Mike Cormier said. The vocational school is on the Mt. Blue campus.
Two wells, 300 and 500 feet deep, have served the schools since 1969, when the buildings were constructed, Cormier said Friday. But for unknown reasons, they’ve stopped producing enough water to keep a 1,000-gallon reserve tank filled. The tank helps maintain the buildings’ water pressure.
Facilities workers have been watching the situation closely for several weeks, Cormier said.
On Feb. 5, while the high school was hosting the state wrestling championships, the pumps were running but the tank was empty.
That’s when they knew they had to drill another well, Cormier said.
“The wells are running dry, literally,” he said.
Both Cormier and David Gould, director of facilities, said the school has been getting by, but bottled water was brought in during the wrestling match, just in case, Gould said.
“They could have been very close to the edge for years,” said Ike Goodwin of Goodwin Well and Water, the Turner company hired to drill the new well.
Cost for the project is expected to run between $15,000 and $20,000, said Cormier. The budget will cover it, but the school will have to put off other repairs that were planned for this year.
Because the well is considered a public water supply, the district will need to apply for approval of the well’s use through the state’s safe drinking water program. A preliminary application for the well’s site has already been approved, based on the absence of potential sources of contamination. So far, the new well is about 280 feet and yields two gallons per minute. That rate is sufficient, said Goodwin, but they’d like to get as much as possible. He doesn’t expect to drill more than 500 feet into the bedrock.
They hope to establish an adequate flow of water today by the end of the day. Since they will need to dig up the parking lot for installation of pumps and pipes, they will wait until school closes Friday for February vacation to start that phase. The entire project is expected to be complete by the end of vacation week, although the flow may not be turned on for another week or so when lab tests are complete and final approval for the water source is granted.
Goodwin said he’ll suggest the district apply for a conditional permit in case it needs the new before receiving final approval for it. Conditional permits can be granted based on tests of possible contamination that would, in the short term, cause health hazards, such as certain bacteria. Final approval is more comprehensive and looks at contaminants that may cause health risks over the long term. Goodwin said he will also suggest the school not use the source, unless absolutely necessary, until final approval is granted. He said it is rare, in Maine, for a source to be denied.
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