The City of Columbia has proposed drilling a new alluvial well near the McBaine Water Treatment Plant to replace a well that is no longer producing enough water.

There are 18 alluvial wells in McBaine Bottoms that serve all of Columbia, and alluvial well No. 10 is the first to lose its functionality.

An alluvial well taps water from alluvial deposits, which are loose, unconsolidated sediments such as sand or gravel deposited by rivers or floods. These wells then draw on the shallow groundwater found in these deposits.

The city has been monitoring and studying Well No. 10 for two years while planning to drill a new well.

“We’ve been watching Well 10 for a couple of years,” said Matt Nestor, a spokesman for Columbia Utilities. “It’s not producing as much water anymore. So we did a study and concluded we can move it about 50 feet, and then we should be able to tap into a better source of water.”

The city said rehabilitating the well could be as expensive as drilling a new well, so a new well with newer technology will better serve customers.

The reason for the loss of functionality of well No. 10 is the wear and tear of its well filter, which is reaching the end of its useful life.

A well filter is a device installed at the bottom of a well to protect it from outside particles and ensure that the water entering it is as clean as possible. This protects the well pump from damage and ultimately reduces the need for maintenance.

Although well number 10 is no longer functioning properly, there is still enough water available, according to the city.

“Everything is going on as usual. We are still getting enough water to meet our needs, so no customers are affected at this time,” Nestor said.

Without the use of well number 10, Colombia’s water supply is not currently at risk. However, the situation could be different if another well were to stop functioning.

“If another problem arises, it’s good to have the capacity,” Nestor said. “So if we need to take another well out of service for maintenance or something like that, the main reason to do it now is to make sure we have the capacity so it doesn’t impact customers later.”

The proposal to drill a new well will now be presented to the city council for approval. If all goes according to plan, the city will begin drilling the well in February.

Public comments will be accepted on the city’s website until September 11.