City of Wells Water System Improvement Project
BACKGROUND
This interesting settlement was originally established as a station on the Union Pacific Railroad. In September, 1869, Humboldt Wells (as it was called because of the headwaters of the Humboldt River nearby) boasted a Wells Fargo office, a log shanty saloon, and a railroad station in a boxcar.
By 1872, stores and hotels had been added to the single business street paralleling the west side of the railroad tracks, and stagecoaches ran south into White Pine County three times a week. But devastating fires in 1877, 1881 and 1900 slowed development, and, lacking any business beyond that provided by the railroad and the ranches, growth was very slow.
Since the turn of the century, Wells, like many of the old railroad towns, has slowly shifted its center away from the railroad tracks. In the 1940s businesses migrated a block south to US 40, and in the 1980s, it began an agonizing stretch toward I-80. The last business on Commercial Row, Quilici's, a 60-year institution, closed in 1991. Thirteen saloons once provided entertainment to railroad travelers. Now even the Bullhead Bar, the last and most famous of them, with its big dance floor upstairs, is closed and padlocked. However, the Ruby Mountain Brewing Company is a short drive south of Wells.
Wells' prosperity is solidly based in the crossroads created by I-80 and US 93. I-80 is a main east-west transcontinental artery with the US Highway 93, designated US 93 at Roosville, MT, extends from Jasper, British Columbia, Canada, in the north to Wickenburg, Arizona, in the south.
Wells had only one operation well. Due to groundwater wells being the sole source of water for this system and the remote nature of the system, redundant well capacity is required under NAC 445A.6686. Also, according to the hydraulic analysis, the water system cannot meet minimum pressure requirements established in NAC 445a.6672. The City was also out of compliance on storage capacity.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Wells intends to drill a back up well, interconnect the water line to the existing system and increase water storage for added pressure. The secondary back up well and loop system is intended to eliminate dead end mains and provide safe pressure levels.
The City of Wells applied for a grant under the AB 198 program to assist with a water system improvement project. The grant was originally approved by the Board for Financing Water Projects (Board) on December 5, 2002, for $757,375.60 (61.3% of the total eligible project cost of $1,235,523). The original project scope was to be completed in three phases and included: a new production well, a loop water system and a 250,000 gallon water storage tank.
Due to problems with the first well drilled, the City of Wells did not have sufficient funds remaining to complete the water tank (Phase three). On April 27, 2005, the Board approved an amended grant for $1,102,310.09 (61.3% of the total eligible project cost of $1,798,222).
PROJECT STATUS
The new water well (Phase one) was drilled in the spring of 2004, not far from a well that was used to irrigate the golf course. The new well did not produce as much water as expected and was abandoned. A test hole and subsequent production well was drilled and found to produce 1,500 gpm.
Phase two of the project - looping the water system - is complete and in service.
Design for Phase three of the project - the new storage tank - is in progress.
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