Cleaning up the Town Beach Well
February 25, 2010, page 10
by Nancy Wood

The well at the Town Beach has a history of contamination, publicized with “do not drink the water” signs in the beach house. Tom Mansfield, serving in his capacity of Deputy Health Officer, tests the well water every ten days during the summer months. The first test last May, taken shortly after the well had been shocked with chlorine, was clean. Subsequent tests in June showed elevated levels of coliform bacteria, leading to a requirement by the state to post a “boil water” notice and the request to find a permanent solution to the problem.

Carlie Krolick, in her role as a member of the Recreation Committee, has been researching the history of the well and possible solutions. She is determined that it will be resolved by the time the beach opens on Memorial Day weekend this year. She says that the well casing is cracked, documented in June 2009 with video by Roland Luxenberg, P.E., of Aquaterra, who also observed that the “major source of inflow” to the well might possibly be that which seeps in through the cracks.

Krolick said that the well was drilled in 1979 by Carl Eckenberg. A review of the records in the database of the Vermont Water Supply Division show that it is 298 feet deep to black shale, with 31 feet of casing and yielding one gallon per minute (see www,vermontdrinkingwater.org).

Jim Siriano of the Water Supply Division has suggested two options for fixing the problem: completely rehabbing the well or installing a Jaswell seal. Other recommendations have been to turn off the taps in the washroom and use hand sanitizers, or to install an ultraviolet disinfection system.

Another alternative that has been discussed is to cap the current well and drill another on higher ground, farther away from Holmes Brook and the Town Beach septic system.

The Selectboard’s budget includes $2,500 to go toward resolving cleaning up the well.