The flow rate of water from the artesian well had slowed significantly in the past few years, prompting the Sitka Ranger District to seek Title II funding through the Resource Advisory Committee for inspection and cleaning. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)
The Forest Service closed Sitka’s artesian well last Wednesday for a system flush that has been a long time coming. The well will reopen for public use tomorrow.
But why did the Forest Service shut down access in the first place?
District Ranger Perry Edwards says the water was always safe to drink. The problem was the well’s low flow rate. Over the years, the amount of water coming up through the pipe diminished.
The well was drilled in 1993, the same year the path through the Starrigavan Recreation Area was built. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)
“There are any number of people who are devout followers and they will hike in when the roads closed due snow. They will ski in. They will snowshoe in. They will do whatever they got to do to get in there,” said Edwards. “Then it’s always frustrating when someone is there with a five gallon jug who is trying to fill it up and you have to wait a half an hour before you even get your turn.”
Engineer Melinda Kemp said the flow rate was 30 gallons a minute when the well was installed in 1993. Before cleaning last week, that flow rate was down to a paltry 2 gallons a minute. The Forest Service traced the problem to dirt and debris trapped in a 5-foot screen at the bottom of the well.
Last fall, the local Resource Advisory Committee (RAC), which recommends special projects on federal lands, awarded the Sitka Ranger District more than $33,300 for well inspection and cleaning. The contractor Wheaton Water Wells arrived last week and isolated the problem.
“[The contractor] used the process of water jetting to unclog the debris from the bottom of the well,” said Kemp. “He did all that work and he saw an increase to 7 ½ to 8 gallons a minute. So it seemed almost quadruple the flow.”
Kemp said that despite the higher flow rate, this is a temporary solution. The build-up will likely happen again.
While debris trapped in the bottom of the well was the main culprit for the clogging, the contractor also noted some oxidized mineral deposits inside the pipe. Kemp says that this round of cleaning is a temporary solution and that a new pipe may have to be drilled in the future. (Photo courtesy of the Ranger District)
“Unfortunately, the screen is not in good condition at the bottom, so using this method in the future for maintenance is not recommended,” Kemp said, adding that,”replacing the screen at the bottom of the well is not really cost effective.
In the future, Kemp says, the Forest Service may have to drill a brand new well or find a different water supply for the campground.
