Biofilm buildup caused major issues
By John Faucher
A troubled well site in Hortonville has been restored and is ready to be put back into operation following a month of rehabilitation work.
Hortonville Public Works Director Carl McCrary told village board members Jan. 17 that well site No. 2 would be “back on-line any day now.”
“The water has cleaned up considerably,” said McCrary.
McCrary reported a buildup of biofilms in the well had caused reduced water quality and created maintenance issues.
In late October, the village contracted with CTW Corporation to conduct an inspection of well site No. 2.
CTW captured video footage of extensive biofilm growth extending from 75 feet down the well to the bottom of the 364-foot well, Troy Simonar, a professional well water technician with CTW, told village board members in November.
“Carl and Ryan [St. John, Hortonville Public Works superintendent] caught this well from being catastrophic,” Simonar said Nov. 15, 2018. “The shaking vibration was so bad if they wouldn’t have shut it down when they did, the upfront costs for repair would have been much more,” said Simonar.
The village board then approved hiring Water Quality Investigations, a professional well water consultant, to do additional testing and assist CTW Corporation with a plan for rehabbing the well.
The well site is one of two located in the village. One is located on the east side near Alonzo Park and the other on the west side near Miller Park.
McCrary on Jan. 17 provided board members with the list of the recent work done on the well.
Technicians conducted a heavy brushing of the cased region of the borehole and then bailed out the brushing debris from the well.
Crews then chemically treated the well multiple times.
They also installed a pipe to the bottom of the well that will be used for periodic air scouring and removing biofilm from the middle borehole region of the well.
McCrary also reported that CTW installed a well water recycle line to control stagnancy of the water and biofilm formation above the pump setting.
“The recirculation piping will minimize the amount of stagnant water residing above the well pump and inhibit microbial growth,” McCrary said.
The village also established a plan for future testing and quarterly maintenance.
The quarterly agitation of the well will be followed by purge pumping until the water becomes clear.
McCrary said the newly restored well is set up to be temporarily offline during quarterly shocking and aeration treatments. He also said the well will be continually monitored for biofilm trends.