Artesian well likely to stay open

Downtown drink: Some group must accept responsibility for testing and maintaining the well, the county says.

By John Dodge, The Olympian

A popular artesian well in downtown Olympia will keep flowing for public use, at least temporarily.

But several things must happen in the months ahead to ensure that the well has a future, state and South Sound health officials told a community group, Friends of Artesians, Tuesday.

At stake is the fate of a free-flowing well that 100 to 200 people use each day to quench their thirst or to fill containers.

"If we cut if off as a water supply, we would have a tremendous hue and cry," noted Friends of Artesians member Jim Ingersoll.

Tb keep it open, four things must happen to establish the well as a public water supply, said Thurston County environmental health director Gregg Grunenfelder.

• Some public or private group must accept responsibility for maintaining the well, taking water samples and making any necessary repairs.
• The state Department of Health needs an engineering report documenting that the well is intact, properly constructed and free of pollution.
• Further research is needed to determine whether a water right exists for the well.
• Finally, the state Department of Ecology might require a shutoff valve at the wellhead so the water - estimated at 5.3 million gallons per year - does not keep discharging into the city sewer system. Water from it and from other uncapped wells increases the demand on the sewage treatment system.

The artesian well sits in the Diamond Parking lot on Fourth Avenue.

"Is it the best source for a well? No," Ecology's Dick Szymarek said. "It's unlikely we would grant approval for a new well at this site."

However, everyone at the meeting seemed willing to help the Friends of Artesians keep alive the heritage of artesian wells in downtown Olympia.

"Clearly there is an opportunity to keep it open to the public," Grunenfelder said.

Recent tests revealed good water quality at the well, Friends of Artesians hydrogeologist Nadine Romero said.

"For the time being, the well is perfectly good to use," she said.

But health officials cautioned that people drink from the well at their own risk until someone takes over management and routine monitoring of the well.

At the same time, the officials voiced no plans to close it.