Waelder pitched on new water well

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Bradley Loehr of BEFCO Engineering pitched four plans for a new water well May 15 to the Waelder city council. The new water well is meant to replace a declining well located off Avenue H. The Avenue H well, also known as well 4, has been plagued with issues since 2017.

Loehr’s first plan was to simply install a new well on the same property to replace well four. Option one is the most cost-efficient plan, with project estimations coming in around $1.2 million. However, the plan does present issues with the city’s businesses water needs putting extreme on the well.

Option two is to install a new water well and water plant adjacent to existing elevated storage tank near Avenue I. This option is slightly more expensive, with total estimates coming in at $2.2 million. Loehr said this option would “provide some redundancy to the city.”

Options three and four are the most ambitious projects and the most expensive. The plan calls for either a new well and 12-inch water line to ground storage tank or the well plus a new water plant and pipeline. The location for both is proposed to be off County Road 458. Just the well and pipeline are approximated to cost $3.1 million, while the well, pipeline and plant would cost slightly less than $4 million. These projects have the potential to yield more water than the other options.

Loehr said the city’s newest well is around 20 years old, and the city’s need to replace well four is becoming urgent. Council discussed options for grants, loans and seeking assistance from the city’s largest businesses, i.e. J Bar B Foods and Cal-Maine Foods. No action was taken regarding the new well, but it will be revisited soon.

Other news from the meeting:

  • Waelder received assurance from the county that Gonzales County EMS would remain in the city.
  • Michael Harris, Valentino “Tino” Hernandez and Curtis Hadnot Jr. were sworn into the Waelder city council. Harris and Hernandez are incumbents, while Hadnot Jr. took over for Samuel “Rocky” Quintero. No council election took place in Waelder because of a lack of candidates.
  • Council approved renaming Waelder City Park after Macario García, a decorated World War II veteran and former Waelder resident.
  • Council approved an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for maintenance of mobile homes, HUD-Code manufactured homes, portable buildings set up as a house, travel and recreational vehicles and trailer homes located within the city limits.
  • Trash burning ordinance was tabled for amendments to be added.
  • The Waelder Police Department are seeking a $31,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority for body and car cameras.
  • Minutes were approved, and bills were paid.

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