Clarion well project underway; Fourth well will satisfy DNR requirements

            Things have gotten a little loud near Firemen’s Park on the south side of Clarion in the last few weeks. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. everyday, the sound of equipment is humming. The block right north of the park is active with workmen and a tall structure that juts into the sky. A closer look would reveal that digging is occurring at the site, and not just any digging- the drilling of a new well for Clarion.

            The City of Clarion recently got to work digging well #4. Clarion Director of Public Works, Jon DeVries, says that Clarion right now has three wells and only two of them are in operation. Well #1, which the city actively uses, is located right behind City Hall. Well #3, which functions as the city’s main well, is behind the police department building. Well #2 is no longer in use.

            While one might think that two working wells is enough for a city the size of Clarion, city officials say the new well is long overdue. Clarion Water Plant Operator Adam Russell states that well #1 is almost 100 years old and is reaching the end of its life. He also explains that Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) rules require “redundancy in supply.” That means that if something happens to one of the other wells, another well can pick up the slack.

            DeVries also added that a new well could be critical if some sort of emergency took place. “If something happened with one of the wells right now and there was a fire, the fire department could end up draining the water tower to put it out,” he said. “Or if a water main broke at the same time, we might be forced to go to a boil order, which we’ve never had to do.” The new well will help maintain a surplus supply should one of those events happen.

For the full story, see this week's Monitor