The Decatur Board of Aldermen approved contracting Thompson Brothers Drilling to replace the faulty water pump at a special called meeting on Thursday.
The board had approved Thompson Brothers to pull up the town’s main water well at their May 1 meeting to see while the 16-year old pump had decreased in production in the past year.
At the April meeting, Public Works Director David Anderson said that the well, which is used to access groundwater in underground aquifers, was starting to fail.
Anderson said the main well pumps 500 gallons of water a minute, and at that rate it should run 10 hours a day. He said it has dropped off in its production over the past three years, with it pumping 457 gallons per minute in 2014 and 2015, but dropping to 439 in 2016, and 376 in January, which is causing it to run 16-18 hours a day.
Mayor David Marshall presented the board with the quote from Thompson Brothers to replace the well and the total price to replace the pump will be $26,090.69, which includes the $8,733.60 price for the pump, the $7,135.20 for the tube and shaft assembly and $8,094.29 for labor. The crew from Thompson Brothers pulled the water pump from the well on Wednesday, May 2 and took it to their shop to determine if it could be repaired.
Marshall said that the crew determined that it would cost more to repair the tube and shaft assembly and the water pump than it would to replace them.
The water pump has been in use since 2002. Anderson said that water pumps usually have a lifespan of 20 years but that most water agencies use two pumps while Decatur has primarily relied on one pump.
The replacement will be paid for from funds from the water department savings account, which Town Clerk Brenda Harper says contains $160,000.
David Anderson said the installation of the new pump should take about a day and half and that Thompson Brothers will start around the end of May.
Marshall also discussed the possibility of taking down the old water tower on Seventh Street.
Marshall said they were considering using the same contractor that took down an old water tower in Hickory. Anderson said that the tower has become more unsafe and that if a powerful storm hits downtown, it could come down on the surrounding buildings, which includes the county courthouse and the fire and police stations.
Anderson said that the state health department had deemed the tower unsafe.
Ward 2 Alderman Mark Buntyn said he thought the board should hold a public forum before making a decision to take down the water tower because some residents thought the tower held some historic significance and that it is one of the last towers of its kind in the state.
The board agreed to at least accept bids for the removal but will make a decision at a later date.
