continued
It was decided that the capabilities of the Mississippian limestone would not sustain the facility any longer. In the Ainsworth area, that means that the next water available to a consumer that is fit for human consumation with feasible treatment costs is the Prairie DuChien aquifer. In Washington County, this aquifer is 1400' below the surface. Due to the nature of the formations between the Mississippian and the PDU, GWP proposed using PVC casing as an alternate to the typical steel casing construction. Experience gained over the previous 10 or 12 years in installing similar wells for hog facilities, dairies, and other large livestock facilities was drawn on to design the system. Ed Brittan from MMS consultants in IC was employed to obtain the proper permits with the IDNR for constructing the public well.
The design/build relationship of the contractor and the engineer worked beautifully. MMS initiated discussions with DNR to start the permitting process. At first DNR was hesitant to issue the permit for the first "deep public PVC well," but convincing arguments for viability, past success stories, and performance characteristics proved that success was possible. While still hesitant, a permit was granted based on the fact that this public water supply was privately owned. construction was started immediately after approval of the permit. IDNR sent a delegation to investigate during the grouting phase, and the entire operation was held in compliance by MMS. The final result was exactly as proposed a public drinking water supply to a depth of 1400 feet entirely cased with PVC. Within 30 days the operation was operating and online. Final work was done the following spring with installing larger water lines to the facility, and increasing the size of the treatment facility.
Data gained by the DNR during this project was vital to approval of the forthcoming Richland Iowa project permit approval.
Once again, GWP advances led the way to developing the water resources of Iowa.
