Why does the City need additional water wells on the east side of Petoskey?
The additional wells will help ensure a reliable source of drinking water for Petoskey residents living east of the Bear River. The City’s water distribution system is separated into different pressure districts based on elevation. The upper pressure district services the high school, college and the commercial areas along US-131 near Lowes and Meijer. In the portion of the upper pressure district located east of the Bear River, the City lacks a water well or storage capacity. In addition, there is only one waterline across the Bear River in the upper pressure district, making the distribution system vulnerable if a waterline break or other problems occur.
What will the process be for looking for water?
The City has entered into an agreement with the Petoskey School District to place a test well on 6.5 acres that the school district owns between Ottawa Elementary School and the Petoskey High School. If a sufficient volume and quality of water is found on the school district site, the City will develop two additional production wells on the site along with a small building for pumps and other mechanical equipment.
I’ve heard that there will be other improvements on the high school site if water is found. Is this true?
Yes. If sufficient water is found on the site, and production wells are developed, it is the City’s intention to construct walking paths linking Kalamazoo Street to the high school property as well as nearby athletic fields and tennis courts. These walking paths would link to trails recently constructed between Mitchell and Hill Streets near the school property. These community improvements are part of a larger City plan to improve pedestrian and non-motorized vehicle access, particularly in the proximity of schools.
How are these improvements being paid for?
The City has an agreement to sell two production water wells in the Bay Harbor area to CMS Land. As part of this agreement, CMS Land will pay to replace the capacity of the Bay Harbor wells to ensure that an adequate supply of water exists for all City residents. All expenses related to the development of water wells on the east side of Petoskey, including the associated walkways and other related improvements, are being paid for by CMS Land.
Will the Bay Harbor area still have a sufficient water supply after the City sells two of its wells?
Yes. As part of the improvements, the City will expand its Preserve well site with a second 1000 gallon per minute well to increase water capacity and redundancy within Bay Harbor. In addition, modifications will be made at the Ingalls Avenue pump house so that water will be able to flow from the City’s upper pressure district to the Bay Harbor pressure district, if necessary. Of course, the City will also continue to utilize a water tower located off of Townsend Road near Bay Harbor to ensure an adequate supply of water exists for city residents in the Bay Harbor area for both domestic and emergency situations.
Which wells is the City selling to CMS Land?
The City will be selling its Camp Dagget and Townsend Road production wells, along with a test well located on property near US-31 and Camp Dagget Road.
Is the City selling these wells in Bay Harbor because they have been contaminated by leachate?
No. Your drinking water supply from the City of Petoskey is safe and free of contamination. The current testing frequencies under the Safe Drinking Water Act provisions are every 36 months for arsenic and other metals and every 108 months for a full sweep of trace metals. Additionally, the City checks for arsenic quarterly in these wells although they are not obligated to do so. To date, the wells have never exceeded any safe drinking water maximum contaminant level since these wells were installed 15 years ago.
The DNRE Cadillac District Office (231-775-3960) has all results on file. Contact the Water Bureau drinking water staff to view or obtain copies of the results or the City of Petoskey website (www.petoskey.us) to view the results on‑line as part of the City’s Consumer Confidence Report.
So why is the City selling these wells if the water from them is still safe to drink?
When heavily utilized, the City’s wells influence the flow of ground water through and under the cement dust piles. This influence can result in some of the leachate making its way into Lake Michigan by passing under leachate collection lines installed on the shoreline. CMS expects that by eliminating or minimizing this ground water influence, the leachate flow path will remain fairly consistent and result in improved leachate collection and environmental protection.
In addition, the City has been concerned with the perception of having drinking water wells close to known piles of CKD and leachate. Despite frequent testing, the City has been concerned that CKD piles, and the associated activities necessary to capture and safely treat leachate, could impact the operation of two of the City’s wells in the Bay Harbor area.
Lastly, the sale of the Bay Harbor area wells allows the City to redistribute the geographic location of water wells to ensure that water production is more in line with water demand in the community.
The City recently constructed new water wells. What is the status of these wells?
Two water wells were recently constructed on Intertown Road as part of the development of a new Meijer store. Early in the summer of 2010 these City wells, which were installed by Meijer, became operational, helping to serve the City’s upper pressure district which stretches from the commercial corridor along US-131 to Division Rd near the Petoskey High School complex.
Why does the City need additional wells, if the Meijer Wells are just coming on line?
The new eastside wells and the improvements at the Preserve well site will replace the well capacity that the City will be losing through the sale of the two wells in Bay Harbor.
Along with adhering to water standards established by the DNRE, this capacity is crucial to ensuring that a sufficient water supply exists throughout the City for residential, commercial and emergency purposes.