City well hits 'tons of water'

Sisters' "big dig" for a new city well is refreshingly different from the stereotypical run of municipal projects. It took less time, less work and less money than expected.

The well, located on a donated portion of Sun Ranch Business Park at the north end of town, produced "tons and tons of water" in a flow test on Friday, February 2, according to Public Works Director Gary Frazee.

Over an eight-hour test period, the well produced from 1,500 to 3,000 gallons per minute. The eight-hour test is unusually short.

"They ran it till there was no more capacity in the temporary ponds," Frazee explained.

The well was drawn down by only 5.9 feet over the eight hours.

"That's excellent," Frazee said.

Plans allowed for the well to go down as far as 400 feet; it is considered plentiful at 290. The shallower hole, along with the elimination of the need to drill test holes makes the project less expensive than planned.

Frazee hasn't compiled the figures yet, but the project is expected to come in well short of the estimate of over $400,000.

The city's plans for a second water reservoir on the northeast side of Sisters haven't gone as smoothly. Homeowners on the bluffs overlooking Sisters Airport didn't want the reservoir located in their backyards, and the city has given up trying to persuade them otherwise.

"We've decided we're not going to be able to place it on either of the two homeowners association properties," Frazee said. "Rather than fight and delay the reservoir up on the hillside, we're going to go back and pursue options with the Forest Service."

That means attempting to locate the second reservoir on National Forest lands in basically the same location as the city's current reservoir off Peterson Burn Road on the southwest side of Sisters.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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