FAITH — The Faith Board of Aldermen received the plans for the drawdown test for the town’s recently-constructed well, which shows most of the released water traveling down Jaycee Street, during its meeting on Tuesday.

The plans come from the town’s contracted water services company, A.C. Schultes of Carolina, which is handling the testing that involves pumping the wells continuously to test its pumping abilities. The plans as presented to the board on Tuesday showed the water for wells five and seven traveling into the ditch on Jaycee Street. The plans note that hoses, piping and riprap will be installed around the well and to the ditch to reduce erosion and minimize friction loss, where the water loses pressure due to friction.

The water from well six would be diverted to a retention pond on a property nearby. The plans for well six also include hoses and riprap to prevent erosion.

One of the questions the aldermen had after receiving the plans was when they should hold the drawdown testing. One of the concerns they had with performing the test in the near future was that the state was currently close to drought conditions. 

“If the state’s going to move us into a drought condition, surely they’re going to wonder why we’re wasting 24 hours worth of water. And if we’re going to start talking about asking for voluntary reductions and we’re sitting there pumping it down the road,” said Faith Waterworks Operator Scott Gardner.

As of Wednesday morning, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed that approximately 75 percent of Rowan County was in moderate drought conditions while the rest was in abnormally dry conditions. The monitor is a joint operation between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that measures conditions throughout the nation.

The company the town contracted with to oversee the well project, Municipal Engineering, noted that the warm and dry conditions would make the demand for water from the system larger, but it would also make it easier to dispose of the pumped water.

The aldermen agreed that the town should look into postponing the testing until the fall, when the conditions and weather make it more feasible.

The concerns the aldermen had with directing the water down Jaycee Street remained, such as a manhole at the end of the street that has had issues with erosion entering it and a mobile home park nearby that would be potentially flooded by the water. However, Mayor Randall Barger noted that the company was aware of their concerns.

Other items discussed during the meeting included:

• Mayor Pro Tem Dale Peeler and Gardner noted that the crowd at the Faith Street Dance in June had been respectful and that public works and the fire department had less trash clean-up than usual. Peeler thanked the firefighters for their work helping set up and clean up the Street Dance.
• Granite Quarry-Faith Joint Police Authority Interim Police Chief Todd Taylor introduced the department’s newest officer, Travis Shuffler.
• The aldermen reviewed and approved the job description for the deputy town clerk position that was added in the recently approved budget. The town has not yet opened the position for applications.