Seasonal Well 8 to be turned off Tuesday

Water tests revealed no PCE in Well 8 water, officials say

MADISON, Wis. — Madison Water Utility will take Well 8 on the east side out of service Tuesday to drain its reservoir, according to a release.

The well was turned on over the summer to be on standby mode in the event of a major fire or other supply emergency in the area, officials said. Water from the well was never put into the city’s water distribution system.

The city’s water quality team collected new samples and tested the water for tetrachloroethylene, also called perchloroethylene (PCE), the chemical contaminating groundwater underneath Madison Kipp Corp., which is nearby, according to the release. Tests did not find any PCE in Well 8 water.

Madison Kipp has decided not to use its nearby monitoring wells to study any impact that running Well 8 might have on the contamination plume, but the city is hopeful that the company will do so if and when Well 8 is turned on again, officials said.

The seasonal use of Well 8 may increase during the summer of 2014 when another well in the area will be offline for a filter installation, according to the release. If one of the other year-round wells has a mechanical issue, it would be crucial to have Well 8 operational to meet water and fire needs on Madison’s east side.