Work has started on two of Carson City's production wells - No. 41 located in the southeast corner of Riverview Park, and No. 24, near the end of East Fifth Street, said Senior Project Manager Mark Brethauer.
Work on No. 24, which is at the corner of East Fifth Street and Roundup Road, will include converting a submersible pump to a vertical turbine pump, in order for the existing well to produce more water for the city, Brethauer said. It also will include minor improvements to the existing well house, including new siding, roof and landscaping.
Work on No. 41 was originally planned for another well in the system, but 41 took priority, Brethauer said, when it began to fail. The fresh water it supplies is needed for mixing with the arsenic-laden water in No. 24 to meet federal drinking water standards.
Well No. 41 is the largest producing well in the arsenic-impacted area of the city, Brethauer said. Its failure would have led to an emergency situation.
The $900,000 project is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he said.