Tribe to drill test wells for water supply

Test wells to explore the feasibility of developing a new source of water for Eastport, Pleasant Point and part of Perry are expected to be drilled in Perry within the next month. Wright-Pierce Engineers is conducting the study for a water supply to replace Boyden's Lake, under a contract with the Passamaquoddy Tribe. The wells will be drilled on tribal fee land between the South Meadow Road and the Golding Road, behind the former Humphries farm.
Gene Wayne Francis, the superintendent of the Passamaquoddy Utilities Department at Pleasant Point, points out that the Passamaquoddy Water District (PWD) is not involved in the study but is being kept informed about it, as are the Perry selectmen. "We'd prefer to work together as a team," Francis says of the relationship with the water district in the effort to find an alternative water source.
Francis was involved with a preliminary study conducted last year that looked at lakes and streams and groundwater sources to identify a cost-effective, reliable and high-quality drinking water source. That study indicated the bedrock well location in Perry as a potential site. Francis says the study showed that the groundwater from the site was of good quality, although there were some traces of arsenic. Noting that the well is on farmland, he believes that, if enough volume is pumped, a better indication of the water quality will be obtained.
Steve Crawford, the environmental coordinator for the tribal government at Pleasant Point, is in charge of the current study, which is funded through the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The additional test wells will pinpoint the best site for quality and quantity of water. A temporary well pump will be installed to help determine whether the groundwater level would be drawn down and affect any nearby residential wells. The work will be some distance from any roads and will not affect traffic or access to anyone's property.
According to Francis, the PWD would require a maximum yield of 400 gallons a minute, with usage at present ranging from 290 to 325 gallons a minute. A test well drilled last year was yielding about 100 gallons a minute, but Francis says that, if the size of the well head is increased and the well is drilled deeper, the yield should increase.
Francis says the goal is to provide water for the Passamaquoddy Water District, but if an arrangement is not worked out, then it's possible that the tribe might set new water mains and supply water for only Pleasant Point. However, Francis believes that the water district would not have sufficient revenue to continue in operation without Pleasant Point.
PWD Superintendent Nancy Seeley says, if Pleasant Point was not a customer, the district would be placed in a difficult position, but she notes that expenses would also be less. Seeley says that if the test wells provide sufficient yield she is sure the district will be working with the tribe on the possibility of using the water as a new source for the PWD. "We're waiting to hear the results on supply and yield." She adds that the PWD board will be the body making any decision on what course the water district will take.
According to Francis, the tribe has been pursuing the alternative source of water because of the quality of water from Boyden's Lake. "In five to seven years they won't be able to draw from Boyden's," he predicts, because of high levels of organic compounds and high turbidity. He believes it's possible that the well water could be mixed in with the lake water to improve the quality. With less chemical treatment, the PWD's costs would decrease, he believes.
Seeley stresses, though, that the current lake source and the groundwater sources will need to be compared, and the safety of the groundwater as a drinking water source will need to be determined. "Right now our water is in full compliance," she says, concerning the requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. "It's clear, and there is plenty of it." In recent years, though, the district has struggled to meet the federal drinking water standards for levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acid.
Seeley adds that it can't be determined at this point if Boyden's Lake will not continue to be of sufficient quality as a water source. "Surface water is treated differently than groundwater," she says, noting that the regulations for using groundwater as a source of drinking water are as strict as those for using surface water. She also doesn't know if the PWD's costs would be lessened by using a groundwater source, since there could be costs for pumping or removal of arsenic or other compounds.
The PWD has looked in the past at tapping into a groundwater source in Pembroke, and Seeley says that aquifer would be a better source than the one in Perry. However, she adds, "It would be very expensive to pump the water from Pembroke, because of the mileage. It's probably not feasible." The PWD had its engineering firm, A.E. Hodsdon of Waterville, explore the Pembroke aquifer possibility, most recently in 2008.
When the initial investigations of the site in Perry are finished, the tribe will hold a public information meeting to inform Perry residents of the results. Francis hopes that a report will be ready by mid-summer.