SUAMICO (NBC 26) — An estimated $9.5 million project will bring a new well and water tower to Suamico. When construction is done, water rates are projected to rise from just over $4 per 1,000 gallons to about $7 per 1,000 gallons.
- See the site of the proposed well and water tower on Northwood Road
- The village hopes to have the well constructed by the end of this year
- Village officials say the project will initially be paid for by any grants they may get, loans and water impact fees
- Water impact fees are paid to the village for the construction of any new building
- Once the construction of the well, well house and water tower are complete people who pay for village water will pay back the loans
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story with additional details for the web.)
This place might not look like much now, but soon enough it will be the site of a new well and water tower here in Suamico. I'm your Suamico neighborhood reporter Pari Apostolakos learning more about the details of the projected $9.5 million project which has been in the works for decades.
Watch Pari Apostolakos' full broadcast story below:
Pending state approval, the village of Suamico has decided to drill a third well. They hope to finish it by the end of this year and the well house and water tower by 2027.
The new 300,000 gallon water tower will be used in addition to the existing 500,000 gallon tower.
"[We] realized pretty quickly that our growth was exceeding the ability that we had to pull water out of the ground and service everybody that needed it," Suamico Village Administrator Alex Kaker said.
Kaker said the village chose a third well over building a pipeline to pump water to residents from Lake Michigan in order to maintain control of water rates. He said they're seeking grant money for the project. But, eventually, water rates will go up to help cover the costs.
"Are you concerned at all about the affordability of the water rates going forward?" I asked him.
"Well we're always concerned about the rates and we're trying to keep those rates as low as possible," Kaker said. "Unfortunately, managing the water utility isn't cheap or free and so we're trying to figure out how we can do that as cost effective as possible."
Right now, the rate for 1,000 gallons of water is just over four dollars. If the project ends up costing a projected $9.5 million that rate will jump to seven dollars.
Public works director Andy Smits told me the village once had three wells. But, they stopped using one in 2017 after radium levels exceeded Department of Natural Resources standards.
Smits said one of the two current wells has never tested above state limits, while the other has treatments in place for radium.
The village board votes on the $500,000 thousand bid to drill the well at their meeting next month. Village officials said they invite anyone with questions about the project to attend.
