City wells to get treatment

The Washington City Council voted unanimously to spend about $40,000 to treat bacterial growth in two of its wells. The council passed the motion at its meeting Wednesday night.

Water Plant Director Chad McCleary addressed the council concerning the two problematic wells. He said the bacteria in the wells are not a health concern to humans in the way that e-coli bacteria would be. However, he said the bacteria plug up the wells and prompt a filter change at the water plant more and more frequently. McCleary said each filter change costs about $700, which they used to order every six or eight weeks. Now they order a filter change at least twice as often ? once every two or three weeks.

McCleary said the solution is to chemically treat the wells. He received quotes from two companies that specialize in this treatment, which were Northway Well and Pump and Cahoy Well and Pump. McCleary said Northway was proposing a chlorine treatment, while Cahoy proposed both a chlorine and a caustic (corrosive) treatment. McClearly said the simple chlorine treatment was used on another well in the past to no avail. Further, he said Cahoy planned to apply disinfectant to the bottom of the well, where the bacteria live, rather than apply chemicals from the top. McCleary said that would be a more effective method.

Mayor Sandra Johnson asked where the money for the treatment would come from, considering the treatment was not budgeted for. City Administrator Dave Plyman said water rates will have to be raised in order to offset the unexpected cost. Plyman said the rate increase may have to take place before July 1, 2011. He said the city has not raised water rates ?for some time.?

The councilors shook hands with the two new officers on the Washington Police Department. The officers are Seth Adam and Shamus Altenhofen. Seth is the son of Roger and Becky Adam, and Shamus is the son of Mike and Katrina Altenhofen. Both men were raised in Washington County. They just graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcementt Academy on Friday, where they trained for 13 weeks.

Police Chief Greg Goodman said Altenhofen spent several months with the force earlier in the year, and that he may be given his own squad cad. He said Adam will ride around with Officer Shawn Ellingson for awhile before he is on his own. The police department now has 11 full-time officers and one part-time officer. Goodman said it is the first time the department has increased its size since he joined it in 1985, when there were 10 officers.

For the full story, see the Dec. 16 edition of The Washington Evening Journal