City of Williams gets Santa Fe well back online

After 10 years of sitting silently, the Santa Fe well in Williams is coming back to life.

According to water contractor Pat Carpenter, the Santa Fe Well was tested and found capable of delivering 65 gallons per minute.

“We did a 24-hour test pump of it,” Carpenter said. “It started out at 95 gallons per minute and then stabilized to 60-65 gallons per minute for 12 hours.”

Carpenter said next step will be seeking bids for permanent equipment for the well, which he believes could be operational soon.

Currently, water from the Dogtown wells must go through the water treatment plant because they are connected to the raw water line, Carpenter said. The Santa Fe well will not have to be treated like the Dogtown water because it is not attached to the raw water line, which will save the city energy costs.

“This is a big deal because it can be pumped straight to the distribution tank,” he said. “We’ve got more water and 65 gallons per minute this time of year is about 22 percent of the demand on our system. So it’s a big number.”

Carpenter said the project cost $20,000 for the testing and will need approximately $20,000 more to replace pump equipment.

“It really was the support of the council that led to the success of restoring the well,” he said.

Other council matters

Council approved an airport grant application for $900,000. The city will match the grant at five percent, which is $45,000. This is a first come, first serve grant.

Council approved the purchase of a new sanitation truck for $242,000 with the cost of payments at $60,000 for five years.

The Christmas Tree Committee addressed the council with a vision for a new tree program this winter now that Grand Canyon Railway is no longer sponsoring a tree. The group is looking at options of purchasing a tree locally or possibly leasing one. The group also would like to decorate Monument Park with a separate tree lighting on Veteran’s Day. They asked the council to assist with funding. Council advised they would need more information prior to committing to any funding.

Council authorized Hazen and Sawyer to evaluate the waste water treatment plant reuse design. According to water contractor Pat Carpenter, the plant is designed to use reclaimed water in the valve press and headworks room, but it was never tied together. The waste water plant currently uses 25,000 to 40,000 gallons of clean water in the valve press and headworks room processes daily. Once the system is redesigned, Carpenter estimates only 1,000 gallon of clean water will be needed each day.

City workers have installed new horse stalls on the west side of the rodeo barn, and installation of a new playground at Cureton Park is ongoing.