Study Needed Before Well Can Be Brought Back Online

By Gordon HopkinsThe Fairbury City Council voted to move forward with bringing the long-disused I Street well back into service, despite not yet knowing if the well is a viable water source. The intention is to return the well to operation to provide a lower-nitrate source of water for the city. The maximum level of nitrates in public drinking water allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 10 parts per million (ppm). Water samples were collected in May of this year from the I Street well. Test results indicated the nitrates in the water at 2.8 ppm. However, more extensive testing is required before water from the well can be considered safe. At a meeting on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, Councilperson John Ebke, who also serves on the Water Sourcing Committee, explained, “We’ve done an initial water test that we’ve had sent off to the state. We looked at the nitrates, all that stuff. Looks really good, but there’s a very intrusive test that we have to do that we haven’t done yet. That tells us more about, if there is, you know, there’s other things in the water that we don’t know about that have to be a concern for the state.”Recommendations from Fairbury’s Water Sourcing Committee were presented to the city council. An engineering study to design a new well-house is required before the final cost of the project can be determined. The city received a single bid from Olsson, an engineering firm frequently used by the city. The cost for the engineering study presented to the council was $199,805. However, that entire amount will not have to be spent before the viability of the well is known. Ebke said, “We’re going to do an initial engineering to determine what needs to be done and get a little bit more of a firmed up number, so that we can say this is what it’s going to take for that well.”Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown asked, “Is there a critical go, no go point there in your in your engineering? I mean, I realize it’s very preliminary and I’m casting kind of a wide swath here, but you know, if you get 25 percent into it, is that going to be a really good spot where you’re going to understand, you know, if this is going to be feasible?” Craig Reinsch, lead engineer for Olsson, was at the meeting. He responded, “Because of how the RFP (Request for Proposal) was written, we had to make several assumptions, right? So, we have some water quality information. We have some information that we can make a determination, but more is needed to really answer all the questions that we need to and so, we have gone ahead and reached out to NDEE (Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy) and well contractors, which is the next agenda item, to really figure out kind of a cost and schedule.”Schmidt told FJN via email after the meeting, “Hopefully the total cost be known after about the first $30k.” City Councilperson Brian Schmidt, who is chair of the Water Sourcing Committee, explained, “The first portion of engineering will be to determine a checklist of items needed. Also there are a couple hurdles we need to find a way around. Specifically there’s a sewer main too close the well. When we get all that figured then we will be able to figure the total cost.”There is a manhole approximately 40 feet from the well house. According to Wastewater Superintendent Curtis Arnold, the setback for a sewer line is 100 feet. As for funding, Schmidt said, “You might also add here that, while the engineering same tie, we do have a QCT (Qualified Census Tract) grant up to a million dollars that would apply to a lot of actual construction on this, too. So, while we’re on the hook for the engineering cost, some of the construction that we have afterwards will be covered by the grant.”City Councilperson Doug Brown asked, “What’s a estimated completion date on this? One year, two years, three years?”“The goal,” said Schmidt. “Was by next summer’s irrigation, basically.”Councilperson Brown noted, “There’s a chance we’ll lose Little Blue as the customer by then, possibly.”The Little Blue NRD (Natural Resources District) currently purchases water from Fairbury and is currently also searching for a new source was low-nitrate water.When the council voted to approve the engineering study, Doug Brown was the sole “no” vote.

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