Wellfield Health Report Shows Stability but Continued Conservation Recommended

Abilene's well fields are currently stable, but continued water conservation is recommended, according to a report presented to the City Commission by Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Mike Blacketer.

"Currently, our well fields are stable. We've gotten about 6 inches of rainfall this month so far, which was very welcome news," Blacketer told commissioners. "It has helped bring us closer to getting everything recharged, but we still have years of drought. So we're kind of behind the curve."

Despite recent rainfall, Blacketer recommended "continuing further customer reduction in usage to help us recharge our well fields further."

The report showed varying levels of impact across the city's 11 wells. Wells in the River Lubium area showed less impact than others, such as wells 14, 16, 17, and 23, which are more heavily used due to water quality considerations.

"Their water quality is high iron, high manganese, and the way we blend everything to the left, we use a lot of that," Blacketer explained.

Data presented showed the city diverted 8,874,000 gallons and produced 7,410,860 gallons of water, with a 16% loss during the reverse osmosis (RO) treatment process. This loss represents concentrated waste containing high levels of iron, manganese, and nitrates that is directed to waste ponds and eventually flows to Mud Creek and the Smoky Hill River.

Public Works Director Brad Anderson noted that city officials plan to work on updating the water conservation plan. The current plan establishes three tiers of conservation: water watch (currently in effect), water warning, and water emergency. While the water watch can be implemented by the city manager, the higher stages require commission approval.

The commission discussed the possibility of implementing specific watering days as a conservation measure, with Anderson referencing Wichita's approach of limiting watering on specific days despite their Cheney Lake being recharged.

"We've had unusual rain for the last month and a half, two months, which is great. But we've also seen sprinkler systems on during them times," Anderson said.

Commissioners requested more objective data for future reports, including physical gallons pumped from each well and clearer status indicators. Blacketer acknowledged the complexity of the well field system and committed to improving the reporting format.