GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Water Utility plans to have a new water well up and running near the interstate next summer, replacing one that was shut down last winter.
The proposed well — located northeast of the Interstate 70/State Road 9 interchange — will be one of three that service most of the northern half of Greenfield, producing water for many industrial businesses, retailers, restaurants and residences, said Charles Gill, water utility manager. The city has five additional wells.
When a well north of Interstate 70 was shut down last December, Gill said it took about 2 million gallons of water out of the city’s daily production. The water department had to change some of its operational strategies and adjust the two remaining wells on that side of town, he said. The change didn’t have a large effect on the city’s overall water production, but it did present a “nervous factor,” Gill said.
“I want to make sure that we have enough capacity to meet our future needs,” he said.
After much discussion internally and with engineers, Gill said, the utility department decided to find a new spot for a well, since the failed structure was “beyond saving.” Crews will also install new water mains from the well, connecting it to the existing mains in the area, he said.
The well is slated to be operational in mid-May, Gill said, and the price tag hasn’t been determined. The utility department is approaching the final stages of design, he added, and then they will bid out the work.
Gill said the new well, which will pull groundwater from underground aquifers, will be the new standard for city wells. It will use new technologies that better track water levels and temperatures and that improve the service life of the equipment, he said.
The water utility hopes to construct more wells as funds are available and as Greenfield continues to grow, Gill said. The city’s population has increased by about 35 percent since 2000, according to U.S. Census estimates. New companies, such as BeijingWest Industries, have also recently made Greenfield home and are large water consumers.
“I don’t want to be chasing development; I want to be ahead of it,” Gill said about needing to be “proactively looking ahead down the stream.”
