Lacey needs to drill a new water well, and it needs Mayor’s dad’s land to do it

The city of Lacey’s largest producing water well, which produced 480 million gallons in 2023, is now slowing and something needs to be done about it, Lacey City Council learned at its Tuesday work session.

Originally drilled in 1976, Well No. 7 is located between Bowker and Lacey streets, an area north of Pacific Avenue and east of Saint Martin’s University. It was drilled to a depth of 480 feet.

According to a Tuesday presentation to the council, the well was humming along until about 2019 when it began losing capacity. The well was rehabilitated in 2020, which temporarily helped, but then capacity began to drop off again.

The well is still producing about 1,500 gallons of water per minute, down from about 1,800 gallons per minute, according to information shared during the meeting.

Lacey has 20 wells, the council learned, but Well No. 7 is the city’s largest. It met about one-sixth of the city’s water needs last year, said Peter Brooks, water resources manager for the city. All 20 wells produced slightly more than 3 billion gallons of water in 2023, he said.

To ensure a steady supply, a new well needs to be drilled in the same general area and at the same depth. To do that, however, the city needs to acquire nearby property.

City staff recommends acquiring two nearby parcels of land, including a grassy field owned by Ron Ryder, Mayor Andy Ryder’s father.

Ryder did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. He told the council he was at Mardi Gras in New Orleans to celebrate turning 50.

Reached by phone, Mayor Ryder said he has no ties to the parcel in question and that negotiations are 100 percent between the city and his father. He pledged to recuse himself from future conversations or a vote regarding Well No. 7.

The city has already been negotiating with the owners to acquire the property, City Attorney Dave Schneider said. He said discussions to date with the owners has been cordial, but time is of the essence and that an agreement has not been reached.

Next steps could include a possession and use agreement in which the city takes control of the land while it continues to negotiate with the owners, or the city could pursue eminent domain, Schneider said.

Eminent domain is the “government power to acquire private property necessary for public use following due process of law and payment of just compensation.”

To do that, the city council would have to approve an ordinance, which would allow Schneider to pursue a petition in Thurston County Superior Court.

Mayor Ryder acknowledged that if the city were to pursue eminent domain against his father, it would complicate things. He believes his father is waiting to see what the other parcel sells for to set a price for his property.

Council member Robin Vazquez asked how often the city has used eminent domain.

Schneider said only once, and even then the dispute was resolved before it worked its way through the entire court process.

A new well could be constructed in 18 months to two years, water resources manager Brooks said, once the city acquires the property.