Othello well shut down

May take several weeks for repair

OTHELLO — The Othello City Council declared a well to be in an emergency state Friday afternoon.

The Public Works Department made the discovery April 26 when a loud unordinary noise was heard upon startup.

Multiple pieces of the well fell apart and traveled down the well, Lead Maintenance Worker Doug Jordan said.

"We could see numerous spiders down the well that were broke," he said.

The parts are refereed to as spiders due to their round design with slender arms extending out.

If the well operates with the parts floating inside, it can cause further damage including bending the shaft.

"The repairs will involve the repair of the pump by either the pump manufacturer of the custom fabrication of a new pump system to be used in Well 5," according to city documents.

The department attempted to have local irrigation businesses repair the well, but due to irrigation season, most businesses are booked with other work. The city plans to use a business from the Tri-City area.

"Right now, everybody's busy," Jordan said.

The well is referred to as the "work horse" of the city water supply. It is used for potable water needs, industrial needs and for fire flow. When the well goes down, Well No. 6 can be used to offset the loss of water.

The second well can be pumped in an emergency but will not be used as the primary source, City Administrator Ehman Sheldon said.

Well No. 6 is more expensive to run and extends over the state and federal limits for the amount of fluoride in the water, Jordan said.

It may take several weeks to get the well repaired due to the extent of the damages. The cost is unknown at the time because council waived the bid procedure to get it fixed immediately.