STUDY SHOWS CITY WILL HAVE SAFER, LESS COSTLY WATER SOURCE IN WELLS

Results of a two-part alluvial well study could mean Cape Girardeau will have a safer and less expensive water system soon.

An Economic Development Administration flood-control grant of $960,000 can help pay part of the tab.

Studies show water can be drawn from a sandy area or alluvium downstream from the Cape Rock water treatment plant.

The 20 to 30 acres of alluvium land are on the west side of the Mississippi River. The city gets its water from the surface of the Mississippi River.

The alluvium well water filters through sand and gravel, taking out some of the particles normally treated with chemicals. It will be pumped through a well and into the water treatment plant at a savings of $50,000 to $60,000 a year.

Engineers from Burns and McDonnell are studying whether it to use several vertical alluvium wells or a large horizontal well.

"This is just one part of upgrading the water system," City Engineer J. Kensey Russell said. "We knew from the city's master plan that we would have to expand our capability to provide water. We also knew from the 1993 flood that we needed to look for an alternate source to eliminate a lot of variation in the quality of raw water."

He added that growth, both in the residential and commercial sectors, has pushed the city's water needs up to an order of 10 million gallons a day by the year 1998."

Russell said the alluvial well construction could be done in eight or nine months.

City water systems manager Tom Taggart estimates the new water system will save $1.2 million over the next 20 years in operational expenses.

Another saving comes from not having to maintain a water-intake structure. "We might save another $200,000 to $300,000 over 20 years in the cost of maintenance to the intake tunnel and intake structure," he said.

Yet another plus is the fact that the EDA flood grant that would have helped pay for construction of a new water-intake structure can now go toward construction of alluvial wells.

The matching grant calls for the EDA to pay $720,000 and for Cape to pay $240,000.

"The EDA people were here yesterday and seemed to be pleased with the progress we're making on the well study," Russell said.

Burns and McDonnell conducted two studies. The first phase dealt with whether or not there was any potential for contamination of the water. Once it was determined that there was no danger of that the second study got under way.

The second study dealt with how much water could be pumped from the alluvium source into the water treatment plant.

"The way it's looking right now, decisions have been tentatively made to go with the alluvial wells," Taggart said. "Now we have to find out from the last study which wells would be the best for this system."

The 15 vertical wells would require the same number of pumps. However, a Ranney well would only require four or five pumps.

"Testing will be done this weekend to determine which well would be the best to be used," Taggart said. The results of that test should be available in about two or three weeks.