Overproductive well increases costs for city of Jackson

Even good luck comes with a price.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen voted Monday night to spend an extra $47,000 on a well on the north side of town.

City officials say the extra funding was necessary because the contractor hired to drill the well made a Jed Clampett-like discovery. Subcontractor Midwest Hydro didn't find bubblin' crude, but it found almost twice the amount of water volume than expected, based on estimates from other wells in the city.

Public works director Rodney Bollinger and others have been giddy over the good fortune, but the city was forced to go back to the drawing board to determine the best way to handle the 700 gallons per minute from the well at Jackson's industrial park along U.S. 61.

"I think the well is producing so much, we had to spend more," said alderman Kerry Hoffman. "It's not going to produce as much as two wells, but a well-and-a-half anyway."

The board OK'd Monday night an extra $8,600 to Horner & Shifrin for further engineering. The board also granted an extra $38,899 for bigger pipes and excavation at the well site.

Bollinger said 300 feet of expensive 24-inch ductile iron was needed and cost about $30,000.

"It was all necessitated by the increased yield," Bollinger said. "We didn't expect to get 700 gallons per minute. It's money that has to be paid up front, but it's money well spent."

The board also approved another $19,744 expense related to Well No. 7. This money will go for electronic hardware so well No. 7 can "communicate" with the water plant. All of the wells are equipped with this type of equipment, but the city did not factor this cost into the original contract, Bollinger said, because officials considered doing that part of the project separately.

Robinson Mechanical Contractors was awarded the original contract.

"We thought with the good price Robinson's threw at us, we could get it done cheaper," Bollinger said. "It was just as easy to let them go ahead and do it."

All change orders included, Jackson spent $786,400 on the well, up from the original cost of $744,990.

Jackson will get some money reimbursed because Midwest Hydro did not have to drill as far down as what was originally estimated.

The aldermen also voted Monday night to go with dual contracts for its directional boring services. Jackson received four bids for rates. The bids from Midwest Cable Splicing and Eastern Missouri Industries came in so close, the city is going with both.

Don Schuette, Jackson's director of electric, said Eastern Missouri Industries' bid for rates came in lower for the 2-inch, 2 1/2-inch and 3-inch boring, while Midwest Cable Splicing's rates came in cheaper for 4- and 6-inch boring.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635