New City of Mountain Lake water source is meeting expectations
According to Mountain Lake Water Superintendent Kevin Krahn, the city’s new Well #7 is meeting its expectations. The well, with a depth of 200′, is producing 275 gallons a minute. When it is not pumping, the water will rise to 13 feet below ground level – and when it is pumping, drops to about 18 feet below ground level. The water coming from the new well is higher in iron and lower in manganese than the city’s other four wells. The city’s water hardness coming from the water treatment plant (a compilation of water from the five current wells) into the water tower and out to residents is testing at 20 grains – at the high range of the 15-20 grains of hardness needed for softer water.
This new well, dug and built on the former Boldt’s Watercare property east of the lake (along with the connecting pipe that was bored to the city’s Well Meter Building) began pumping late Wednesday morning, April 1.
The water is pumped from the new well to the Water Treatment Plant, where it is combined with the water pumped from the additional four wells. At the Water Treatment Plant, the water from all five wells is combined and receives the necessary chemical treatment and RO (reverse osmosis) settings.
History of the City of Mountain Lake’s newest well – Well #7
The digging of the City of Mountain Lake’s newest well began on Tuesday, September 2, 2014. The well was dug on the former Boldt’s Watercare property site at the north intersection of Nickel Street and 10th Street North, adjacent to Cottonwood County Road #9. To reach the current Well Meter Building, located in the southwest corner of Mountain Lake City Cemetery, a new raw water line was bored under 10th Street North, and followed 9th Street to the building location.
The digging of this new well was a top Utility Commission priority. Earlier attempts to locate a suitable source of water on city property ended up unsuccessful. In 2013, the Utility purchased the former Boldt’s Watercare after test boring proved there was water on the property.
This project was bumped up to urgent when production at two of the city’s wells dropped in January 2014.
GM Contracting of Lake Crystal was the general contractor, while subcontractors for the project were Thein Well Company of Spicer, Kuehl Electric of St. James and MR Paving of New Ulm. GM Contracting was the lone bidder on the project, coming in at $723,257.23 – or 30% above the engineer’s estimate. A change order in the project, however, reduced the bid amount by $58,775.15. This reduction was due to the contractor opting to use horizontal directional boring, which is less costly than an open trench and means less traffic control costs. The bid amount was further reduced by having city staff – and not the contractor – complete the tree removal necessary for the project.
The digging of the well was completed in the fall, but was not operational until all electrical, computer technology and other related work was finalized.
Funding for the well tied to housing rehabilitation
The city received a 2014 Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) grant which will be teamed with an 80% grant/20% loan from Public Facilities Authority (PFA) and a $100,000 contribution from the Mountain Lake Economic Development Authority (EDA) – to build the new well, dig a raw water line from the property to the Water Meter Building to close several old, low-producing well (including in the Mountain Lake Fire Hall) – as well as for the rehabilitation of approximately 20 owner-occupied homes. Only $47,532 will need to be repaid to the PFA.
The SCDP grant was also for the rehabilitation of approximately 20 owner-occupied houses. Rehab activities will include correcting structural deficiencies and code violations, improving energy efficiency, health and safety concerns and accessibility. Additionally, homes will be tested for lead paint, mold, radon and asbestos.
The grant provides 80% of each project’s cost. The remaining 20% will be drawn from a variety of sources, including owner funds, bank financing, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) funds, weatherization, Energy-Related Repair funds and Lead Hazard Control grants.
These SCDP funds will be secured with a 10-year 0% interest deferred loan. All of the loan will be repaid if the client sells the home within the first year. Thereafter, a reduction of 10% per year will be applied to the payback amount until 10 years have passed, whereupon the loan is forgiven.
The target area for housing – the western half of the city – was selected because a large number of those returning the Fall 2013 SCDP questionnaire were low-to-moderate income homeowners living that part of the city. Priority will be given to homeowners in the target area who indicated an interest in housing rehab.
