Three new Ames wells should help produce water during power outages

A significant construction project on the eastern edge of Ames will help bolster the town's drinking water supply and aid the city during power outages.

Three additional drinking water sources are being constructed near North River Valley Park, just west of the Ames Water Treatment Plant. The project is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

The new, state-of-the-art City of Ames water wells will be located on the northern edge of North River Valley Park and connected to the Ames Water Treatment Plant at 1800 East 13th Street through underground pipes that travel underneath South Skunk River and 13th Street.

More: Ames council considers rec center, a 4th fire station and an animal shelter in 5-year plan

Building on the city's water supply

The new wells will add to the city's current inventory of 22 water wells.

The Ames Water Treatment plant, opened in 2017, distributes water to all the city's houses and businesses through 248 miles of pipes, producing, on average, 160 gallons of water per household each day. The city estimates a family of three uses an average of 4,500 gallons of water per month.

The existing Ames water wells range in depth from 76 feet to 146 feet and have a minimum capacity of 200 gallons of water per minute to a maximum of 1,200 gallons per minute.

The City of Ames occasionally pulls water from Ada Hayden during extreme drought, which is pumped into the South Skunk River. The water eventually pools behind the low head dam at North River Valley, where it seeps into the riverbed and refills the Ames aquifer, which is located underneath the damn. The sand in the river bottom naturally filters the water.

Ames Environmental Engineer Matthew Jacob said the new wells will be a backup water source as Ames grows.

"Ames is 100% groundwater utility, so all of our raw water comes from those 22 wells, gets treated through lime softening and ultimately sent out to consumers through the distribution system," Jacob said. "These wells are to provide more of that resiliency and support that future growth of Ames as the city expands in population and water demand increases."

The wells will be equipped with state-of-the-art fiber optic communication, which can be accessed and monitored at the water plant, a unique feature to Ames and many other communities.

It's a fail-proof way to keep the water source pumping to all Ames residents, no matter the situation.

"We can actually connect that fiber optic to our standby generator here at the water plant," Jacob said. "So if we get a power outage event, we can directly power those wells. We can also have those fiber optic connections for the security cameras out in the wells."

More: Going Green: Ames Climate Action team details methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

New wells have been in the works

The City of Ames typically develops a new well or well field every 10 years, Jacob said. The North River Valley wells project was first discussed in 2012, but the design was delayed for a couple of years.

Several Ames' water wells were constructed in the 1950s, with the oldest first drilled in 1952. This project will likely outlive Jacob's time, and the engineer is excited to be a part of a structure that will endure for many years.

"It's cool to see a project of this scope, knowing that it can be used for the next six or seven decades, if not more so long as it's properly maintained," Jacob said. "It's really cool how the utility is always looking towards the future, providing that capacity to provide water to Ames."

The project went out to bid for the first time in late 2019, but due to COVID-19 pandemic, it was tabled. It went out for bid again in 2023, and the contract was awarded to Keller Excavating out of Boone last April.

Major construction began in June and has been moving steadily since. Jacob is happy to see the project take off after spending several years in development.

Jacob said such a large construction project is significant as the Ames community expands, believing it will provide resiliency during a power outage.

More: Iowa Board of Regents president announces resignation with three years left on term

New wells should be installed next winter

The water wells project's "substantial completion" date was listed in the contract as Dec. 20, 2024.

In the meantime, temporary fencing will be found in North River Valley Park as a safety measure as the work continues. Jacob said the contractor has been good at securing the area since construction started over the summer.

"When they're doing excavations, there's always temporary fence around it and all the trails, as (the area) is an active park area," Jacob said. "All the temporary fence areas ensure the safety of passerby and parkgoers."

Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: The City of Ames is building three new water wells near North River Valley