Dogtown 1 well still limping along
Officials hope using a smaller pump could help salvage the failed well
WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Ever since Dogtown I failed on May 19, the city has tried numerous options to revive it.
Now city officials are hoping a change in the way they pump the water from the well will solve their problems - and it's their last shot.
Before Dogtown I suddenly stopped working eight months ago, it was producing about 250 gallons per minute. Several attempts to salvage the well have been unsuccessful, including using cranes and hydraulic equipment to remove stuck equipment and sending multiple rounds of charges into the well to allow water into the formation.
When the city last tried to draw water from the well after sending gas gun charges down, it was yielding about 40 gallons per minute.
Since the standard sized pump and motor weren't producing the desired results, City Manager Brandon Buchanan said the city sent the equipment to the manufacturer in Wyoming so they could examine it. The manufacturers found some concrete and sand inside the pump that they were able to clear out before reassembling the equipment.
"That may or may not have been affecting performance," Buchanan said.
But before officials go back to using the standard sized pump, they're getting ready to try out a smaller sized pump. Instead of producing about 250 gallons per minute, the smaller pump will produce between 75 and 150 gallons per minute.
"We'll start by pumping a minimal amount and then ramping it up as the well allows," Buchanan said. "Part of the thinking there is by gradually increasing it, we'll pull in less of the loose materials...So instead of clogging up another pump that's trying to suck in 250 gallons a minute, we'll hopefully avoid that by getting those materials out of there slower instead of all at once."
If workers don't encounter any problems pumping 75 gallons per minute, they'll gradually increase that to 150 gallons per minute using the smaller pump.
"If everything continues to hold at that point then we would pull out and go back with the larger pump," Buchanan said. "But even if for some reason it's not making that much water, even if we can get up to 150 gallons a minute out that's something that right now we'd be happy with."
As of right now, there is no indication of how likely it is for this last option to be successful.
"There's no way to tell until we flip that on switch and wait for a few minutes and see what comes out of the well," Buchanan said. "At this point we've exhausted every option we have on it and the only thing left to do is put a pump in and turn it on."
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