St. Charles faces 500K gallon-per-day water deficiency, even with new well nearing completion

The city of St. Charles is currently staring down a water deficiency of 500,000 gallons per day. This is despite a recent well project being completed and another one approaching its finish in 2027.

Already, the search is beginning for a new drinking water well. City officials say the discovery of a larger water source is crucial for accommodating the city’s long-term growth.

The search is proving to be a costly one. The city council is likely to approve a four-year service agreement with Layne Christensen Company at an estimated cost of $350,000 annually. Over the last 50 years, the same company has drilled all the city’s wells.

The city is searching for a shallow aquifer well.

Tim Wilson, the city’s public works manager of environmental services, said even with the latest completed well, “we still have a well deficiency,” and the city is “still under capacity.”

“Our goal is to try to find a large shallow well,” Wilson said. “Anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 gallons per minute is the goal. We’ll continue to drill, looking for different locations so that we can find a shallow well for future production and future projects.”

Down around 1,400 feet under the ground, the difference between a deep sandstone well and the more suitable shallow sand and gravel wells can be just around 250 feet of drilling.

Wilson said shallow wells can be a bit trickier, but they will better meet the city’s water flow expectations.

“Unlike deep wells in the region, shallow wells take additional locating and test drilling,” Wilson said in city documents.

To increase capacity, the city recently completed a well project at Oak Street. The second well project at Ohio Avenue, which is expected to be completed in 2027, is actually a deep well.

Wilson said he thinks the combination of these three well projects should set the city on a more sustainable path.

“Once a suitable site is found, (Layne Christensen Company) will drill a larger well so the city can test the aquifer capacity and water quality, providing a professional opinion on the well capacity,” Wilson said.