After several quiet months, the city's Well 5 project has taken another step forward.

The Prairie du Chien Common Council approved bidding out construction of Well 5 and abandonment of Well 2. The city's Utility Director Larry Gates and Vierbicher's Matt Muchow appeared at the council's Dec. 16 meeting to provide an update on the project's timeline.

Bids will open on Jan. 28, 2026, with the city awarding contracts in early February.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring and last until February 2027, according to a project summary from Vierbicher.

"The well is really a two-step process," said Muchow. "The first step is a production well. A lot of times, the company doing the production well is very much different than the one doing the [pumphouse], so we'd like to bid those in separate contracts."

The estimated cost for Well 5 is $2.19 million, but the city will receive assistance from the WDNR's Safe Drinking Water Loan Program to fund the project.

This past November, Gov. Tony Evers and the WDNR announced $282 million in financial assistance to 74 municipalities for the federal government's Safe Drinking Water Loan Program.

"You guys did receive 50 percent principal forgiveness — the DNR's term for a grant. So, of that $2.2 million, half is a grant and half is a low-interest loan," said Muchow.

The project will also include the abandonment of Well 2, which entails a lot more than walking away from the site.

"We're trying to use as much equipment as we can from Well 2 at Well 5," said Gates. "If there's any of that, we're going to do so. Once we get all of that done, all of that piping needs to be pulled out of the ground and filled so nothing can go back down and contaminate it."

In April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new standards for drinking water, which included setting the maximum contaminant levels for PFAS chemicals. Well 2 tested above those limits on April 17, 2024, and Well 1 tested above those limits in July 2024. The city has tested for PFAS since 2022.

Further testing on Well 1 in November 2024 showed the contaminant levels dropped below the EPA maximum allowable limits. Well 1 has since been put back into operation. Well 2 has remained offline for nearly two years.

Without Wells 1 and 2 in operation, the city's well capacity was approximately 1,000 gallons below the municipality's peak usage. The city just barely meets its peak usage need with Wells 1, 3 and 4. Adding Well 5, which will be larger than Well 2, will ensure the city can handle its water demands, according to Gates.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved a site for Well 5 in October 2024. It will be located west of 22nd Street and south of Campion Boulevard near the Alliant substation. The well will connect to the city's water system through the water main on 22nd Street.

The city considered other options, including reconstructing Wells 1 and 2 to drill deeper into the ground or treating the PFAS contamination in Well 2 using reverse osmosis. Well 5 was considered the best option due to the risks of finding other contaminants and treatment not effectively removing the PFAS from the water.

"Ultimately, the most cost-effective option was to build a new well versus treating," said Muchow. "I would say the design of this is cost-effective, the well depth is what it needs to be, and the pump house has the components needed for a municipal well and to meet the DNR requirements."

The city received two bids for the test well, which was awarded to Sam's Well Drilling, Inc. for $121,500. The CWT Corporation submitted the other bid at $195,168.

In attendance were alderpersons Nick Crary, Vicki Waller, Bob Granzow, Mark Bowar, Nate Bremmer, Jaaren Riebe, Kayla Ingham and Andy Ringgold. Police Chief Kyle Teynor, City Administrator Chad Abram, City Planner Nate Gilberts and Street Superintendent Nick Gilberts were also present. Mayor David Hemmer was absent.

The next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 6.