Scotts Valley Water District building new well after old one collapsed

Scotts Valley Water District is building a new well to replace the old top-producing well that collapsed last Summer.

The well is being constructed at the Orchard Run Treatment Plant off of Highway 17, where the old one has been filled in on the same site.

Water District officials say the plant produces close to 500,000 gallons of treated water a day.

While the new well is under construction, the other 4 wells that the district operates have been picking up the slack, “we have enough capacity with our other wells to have covered for this but we don’t want to continue to run the wells flat out like that, we like to be able to rotate their usage. ” says Scotts Valley Water District Operations Manager David Mcnair.

The new well is made of newer materials that Mcnair says will not have the same issues as the older well, “the previous well had some corrosion issues because the casing failed, collapsed, that was due to the inferior products that they used to use 25-30 years ago, this well is stainless steel from top to bottom.”

The new well runs about 1500 feet below the ground and the Water District will rely heavily on it during their busiest months, “this well is very important to the district it’s our largest producer and we rely on it very heavily during the summer months,” says Mcnair.

While the well produces 30-40% of water for the district, Mcnair says no changes should be detected during this transition time.

Pure Valley Water owner, Wendi Kramerpugh, says her shop gets water through the district and they have not noticed any difference, but are prepared to help if needed. “I haven’t noticed any change at all. we are prepared to help any consumer at home remove any traces of iron, hardness, bacteria. So, if there is a problem, come our way. We’ll be able to test your water, give you a free analysis and get you set up in the proper application.”