City Updates on Hickory Aquifer

Following is an update on the $120 million Hickory Aquifer project:

Completed projects

• Well field pipelines: Approximately 9.5 miles of water mains, ranging in size from 8 inches to 20 inches in diameter, have been laid, connecting the nine original wells to the 30-inch transmission main. The project was $236,468 under its $3 million contract amount.

Substantially completed projects – With the exception of final clean-up items and demobilization, these projects are complete.

• 30-inch transmission main: Approximately 62 miles of pipeline were laid, connecting the McCulloch County well field to the City’s water treatment plant. The project will finish under its $39 million contract amount.
• Booster pump station and well field pumps: A pump station, ground storage facilities and well field roads were constructed, and pumps in the nine original wells plus instrumentation and a control system were installed. The project will finish under its $12.85 million contract amount.

Projects under construction

• Groundwater treatment facility: The facility will remove iron and radium from the Hickory’s water and include a chlorination facility. The contractor will soon install steel reinforcements for the concrete foundation placement, place backfill for the foundation, install piping and electrical duct banks, and begin placing the concrete. The project is contracted to cost $27.1 million and be concluded next fall. Once it and two well field expansions are complete, San Angelo will be able to access up to 9 million gallons of water per day from the Hickory Aquifer.
• Well field expansion package No. 1: This will include the drilling, testing of pumps, and sampling and analysis of water quality for six wells, ranging in depth from 2,760 feet to 3,090 feet. Two test holes are being drilled (both were started in November), drilling on a third hole is scheduled to begin Jan. 6, and surface casing has been set for the three remaining wells. The contract amount for the project is $7.6 million.

Future projects

• Well field expansion package No. 2: This will include installation of pumps in the six new wells drilled in package No. 1, modifications to instrumentation and the control system, construction of well field roads and installation of an additional pump at the booster pump station. Bids will be opened Jan. 9. The estimated cost is $7.9 million.
• Extension of electrical transmission lines: Overhead lines will provide electrical power to the proposed wells. The design is complete, and the project is estimated to cost $432,800.

Administration

• Engineering: Construction inspections continue daily. Close-out documents are being prepared for the 30-inch transmission main and the booster pump station projects. Approximately $13.3 million of the original $19.38 million contract amount has been paid to date.