New artesian well would be 'a sacred place' backers say

Proposal could go to council, port later this year

By Michael Burnham, The Olympian

OLYMPIA — With the flow like that of a garden hose, crisp, crystal water crackles from a curious copper pipe jutting 3 feet high from a downtown parking lot lining Fourth Avenue.

It's not a broken water main. It's the water.

The same well water that gave rise to the famed slogan of South Sound's old Schmidt brewery is inspiring new visions today.

The parking lot pipe, which pumps water from 100 feet below, is among the last of about 125 artesian wells that once wetted South Sound whistles.

Stop by here - night and day - and you'll see anyone from joggers and bikers to pets and politicians taking a swig.

The Friends of Artesians group, which formed in 1997 to save the well site six blocks north nestled near the Olympia Farmers Market

"The purpose of this is so that people could use the water, "said Friends of Artesians member Harry Branch: "It's very pure."

Jim Ingersoll, who helped form the group to save the parking lot well in 1997, said he believes the new well would have a spiritual value.

As soon as late May, the group will present a proposal to the Olympia City Council and Port of Olympia that touts the well's historical and social values.

Ingersoll hopes to raise about $50,000 to cover the well site construction and maintenance costs.

"What we're going to do is gift it to the city," Ingersoll said of the proposed new well. "We're asking them to accept the gift and continue to operate and maintain it."

If the city agrees to operate the well it would lease the land from the port, said Nick Handy, the port's executive director.

Although port officials have expressed interest in using the site near Farmers Market and other port sites for a well, Handy ...

"Until we get a confirmation from the city ... that they are going to step forward, it's too early to make a commitment," Handy said.

The idea has already won political allies.

"It's sort of a connection to our future and our past," said Mayor Stan Biles. "It's both a consumable and renewable asset"

"I think it would be advantageous to have it near the market," said Councilwoman Laura Ware.

Friends of Artesians, city and port officials all have design ideas in mind.

Both Biles and Ingersoll envision a low fountain, surrounded by benches, trees, and an informational kiosk.

Handy suggests artwork incorporated into a utilitarian fountain with multiple water spigots. A gazebo could provide shade from sun or rain.

"We wouldn't design it, but we would retain the ability to approve the design," Handy said of the Port Commission.