City will pay more to drill well for irrigation system

Drilling a well sufficient enough to support an irrigation system at the Baughman-Belatti sports complex in Madison is going to cost more than city officials had originally thought.  Madison City Parks Supervisor Mike McGillivray told Madison City Commissioners during their meeting Monday that two test wells that had been drilled by Lacey Well Drilling of Dell Rapids didn’t find enough water to run the amount of irrigation needed at the complex.  McGillivray said that they had better results from deeper test wells that were drilled.

Commissioners in October had approved for McGillivray to spend up to 20-thousand dollars for the installation of a well for the irrigation system at the park.  He said Monday that the deeper well will cost more than what commissioners had originally approved.

Another option for the city, McGillivray said, is to use the city’s treated water for the irrigation system.

He said that running treated water through the system at the Thue and Flynn Field complex this year cost around eight-thousand dollars.  McGillivray estimated that amount to be around 28-thousand dollars a year to use treated water to run the irrigation system at Baughman-Belatti Park in a dry year.  

City Administrator Jameson Berreth recommended that the commission move forward with the drilling of the well because it would provide cost savings in the long term.

Commissioners approved a motion to have McGillivray move forward with having the deeper well drilled and said that if possible, to have it done yet this year.