Emergency declared for Othello well repair

Well No. 8 to be evaluated Wednesday

OTHELLO - A well used for drinking water in Othello is out of service.

Well No. 8 located at 14th Avenue and Lee Road went out of service and it's unclear what the cause of the malfunction is, City Administrator Ehman Sheldon said.

He said public works department employees were performing regular checks to the wells and when they came to Well No. 8, they heard a loud, unfamiliar noise and immediately shut the well down.

The damage appears to be on the top portion of the well, Sheldon said. Worn-out bearings were discovered, a ratchet gear used to keep the well pump from turning backward was stripped and sheared bolts were located. The well was still functioning properly despite the damaged parts.

The Othello City Council held an emergency meeting Friday afternoon to waive bid requirements to have the well repaired immediately. Waiving the bid requirements eliminates the bidding period which can take several weeks.

The soonest someone is able to evaluate the well is Wednesday, Sheldon said. After the well is inspected, an estimate for repairs and the determination of the malfunction is expected.

The well is approximately five years old and pumps approximately 800 gallons per minute, Sheldon said. The warranty ran out after the first year the well was installed, which is typical of well warranties, he added.

Preventative maintenance is scheduled for all wells every six years, Sheldon said. The city hasn't encountered any maintenance or malfunction issues with Well No. 8 in the past.

All other wells are functioning normally except for Well No. 6, which is only used during emergency situations, Sheldon said. Well No. 6 is currently being evaluated to determine where high fluoride levels are originating from. Once the fluoride origin is located, the city hopes to seal it off to use the well as a viable drinking water source.

Well No. 6 is not being used while Well No. 8 is out of service.

Last year the city declared Well No. 5 to be in an emergency situation and waived the bid requirements for immediate repair. Well No. 4 also had repairs last year.

Sheldon said there are no disruptions concerning people getting their drinking water due to the well being temporarily out of service. He said there could be disruptions with contractual agreements for water distribution if another well went out of service at the same time. The need for the well to be repaired was declared an emergency to avoid any potential water distribution concerns.