Fesability Study

• Contractor Name: Pine River Irrigation District
• Contract Type: Loan
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

appropriate solution to the infrastructure needs of this area. The reasons are similar to those for
individual wells, with additional problems:
1. The hydrology and geology that places limitations on water supply from individual wells has
the same effects on "cluster" wells. Water supplies from wells in this area are frequently poor in
both quality and quantity. If a given parcel or "cluster" of parcels cannot produce a safe,
dependable supply, then well "clustering" will not resolve the problem. Generally, the pipeline
routes will not be planned in areas where "cluster wells" will provide an adequate water supply
because there is not a demand for the water system.
2. "Cluster" wells are not an appropriate solution to providing water supplies on 'a scale
necessitated by both recent and future anticipated growth in this area. This growth has produced
a situation relative to ground water supplies that can only be expected to get worse. Increasing
numbers of individual wells will produce greater drawdown of the water table and increased
potential for contamination by increasing numbers of ever-closer septic system leach fields. In
addition, the problem of water table drawdown may not be apparent when a well is initially
drilled. In this type of situation a well may become non-functional in a relatively short time and
the property owner loses their investment in the well.
3. "Cluster" wells are not an appropriate solution to providing adequate fire protection for a
growing rural community. Even a well that produces sufficient quantities of water for domestic
use cannot produce adequate flows for fighting fires. In addition, fires commonly produce
electrical outages that render pumps in wells useless for providing any fire fighting flows.
4. "Cluster" wells require cooperation between property owners that may not be possible in the
absence of regulations.
5. "Cluster" wells may attain a size that subjects them to regulations for public water systems
thereby adding additional costs.
6. Requiring "cluster" wells may detract from the economics of the centralized system by
reducing the number of customers per mile of pipeline.
Combination Systems
As previously noted, individual wells and "cluster" wells would always remain viable supply
sources in some areas. This means that the construction of a centralized water system still leaves
rural La Plata County with a "combination" system. This "combination" system made possible
by a centralized system represents the best possible solution because it provides residents with a
safe, high quality source of domestic water where none is available and it gives residents a
choice as to their water supply. Given a choice, many residents will prefer to invest in the
dependable supply provided by a centralized system as opposed to risking investing in a well
which may not provide water of sufficient quantity or quality.
It is worth noting that the "combination" system already exists in the proposed service area to
some extent. The towns of Bayfield and Ignacio have centralized systems; however, neither
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