Latest steps indicate positive news for the town’s search for a more secure water source
Drilling units were in place earlier this week as Woodstock continues its efforts to add more security to its water source for the town.
During his regular update to the council at the Nov. 26 meeting, CAO Allen Walker provided a Main Well # 3 update, noting the drilling company was on site near the Woodstock Wellhouse drilling an observation well.
Walker explained that the drilling of the observation well began that morning and reached a depth of approximately 80 feet by 5 p.m.
He said the drillers expect to reach a depth of 180 feet, which they completed by Wednesday, Nov. 27.
Walker explained the observation well would help the town determine the quantity and quality of the water.
“This is a major milestone for us to be putting the drill down,,” the CAO said. “So this is very positive.”
The observation wells are the latest steps in Woodstock’s decades-old search for a secure backup water source should problems occur with River Wells # 1 and # 2 located in the Woodstock well house.
In early 2024, the council approved the hiring of the engineering firm Boissonnault McGraw to oversee plans for a second water source after water tests deemed the completed second well in Grafton unusable because of high levels of contaminants.
The plans, laid out by Boissonnault McGraw, called for drilling observation wells on the island where the town’s two existing River Wells are located.
In previous well updates, Walker estimated the cost of the well project to be $1 million, noting that he and Mayor Jones had met with the province’s Regional Development Corporation, which could potentially handle up to 50 per cent of the project’s cost.
Walker told the River Valley Sun that the observation wells will provide essential information, including the volume and quality of the available water.
