🎥 Six city water wells to be rehabbed before heat of summer

Jeff Crispin, water resources director, with a map of Hays’ water wells

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Six municipal water wells for the city of Hays will be professionally rehabilitated this summer.

City commissioners approved a $67,230 low bid last week with Layne Christensen, Kearney, Neb. for the cleaning work.

Four of the six wells — YE-1, C-20T, S-8, S-16, S-19, and S-23 — are located in the Smoky Hill River well field south of town near Schoenchen. C-20 is located near 16th and Milner in the middle of Hays. YE-1 is in northwest Hays near Enersys.

The professionals are called in when in-house maintenance can no longer improve a well’s performance, according to Jeff Crispin, water resource manager.

“Professional rehabilitation is periodically required during the life of a well as groundwater contains bacteria and minerals which causes wells to plug. Screens, gravels, gravel pack, and formations may become blocked, reducing the capacity and efficiency of the well,” he told the commission.

Examples of before and after well rehabilitation

Crispin also noted the work would be completed before July 1 when temperatures rise and water use increases.

“We have enough wells that we can shut down the rehabbed wells for a few days,” Crispin assured commissioners. “Obviously, we’re not running all of our (32) production wells at the same time.”

Also during the May 9 city commission meeting, the issuance, sale and delivery of $65,000 in general obligation bonds was approved for Heart of America Second Addition and King’s Gate First Addition.

Finance Director Kim Rupp said Heart of America prepaid $277,836.51 for water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and street improvements included in the extension of Ninth Street east to Commerce Parkway Some homeowners in Kings Gate First Addition also prepaid their improvement district assessments for a new park, which totaled 82,163.49.

That left a small bond issuance of $65,000 which was purchased by Bank of Hays.

In other business, the commission approved the mayor appointment of Reese Barrick, Sternberg Museum of Natural History director to his fourth term on the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Advisory Committee. John Griffith, Comfort Inn & Suites North, was also appointed – for the first time – to an unexpired term on the CVB Advisory Committee.