COLUMBUS, Ind – The Columbus Utilities Service Board met Thursday and approved a funding request regarding the drilling of two new wells at the south wellfield near Garden City. Two existing wells have been out of service since 2017 due to the detection of traces of dioxane-1,4, a solvent deemed carcinogenic by the Environmental Protection Agency. The approval was for $235,000, which brings total funding for the drilling project to $638,000.
While the new wells will greatly enhance the utilities agency’s ability to serve customers, executive director Scott Dompke says additional capacity at the wellfield is still needed.
The board also reallocated resources for emergency repair that had been budgeted for new projects. The repairs were to a backed-up sewer that was causing problems at Southside Elementary School. A large piece of concrete had been lodged in a manhole, causing it to be pulled away from the pipe serving it.
