City of Abbotsford

Another alternative considered was to locate enough groundwater supply to provide the water needed to sustain the City. A well exploration study indicated three areas with potential for additional water supply. The areas identified were east of the City at the Eau Pleine River, northwest of the City along the Popple River and south of the City along Elm Brook.

West of Abbotsford

An area containing a potential sandstone formation is located north and east of Curtiss in an area located west of Abbotsford. A review of all available groundwater well construction reports indicate that this aquifer is very limited in the amount of volume that it can produce. It is unlikely that this aquifer would have sufficient water for the City of Abbotsford. Furthermore, preliminary discussions with property owners revealed that generally, the property is not available for well exploration or purchase.

East of Abbotsford

The area along the Eau Pleine River, east of Abbotsford, has a surface sand and gravel deposit that has been used for road construction projects. The vast majority of well logs in the immediate area do not indicate sand and gravel so the deposit is very localized. Private wells, one north and one south of this area, do indicate a gravel deposit but the well yields indicate a small amount of water. The property owners in this area have not given the City permission to explore for water.

Northwest of Abbotsford

The area northwest of the City indicates a moderate sand and gravel deposit. The well yields as indicated on the well logs show only marginal yields from the sand and gravel. The water quality in this area will require treatment to remove iron and manganese. The wells would also require advanced disinfection treatment because of the shallow aquifer. Property owners in this area have not allowed the City permission to explore for water.

South of Abbotsford

The area south of the City adjacent to Elm Brook is much closer to the City than the other sites. This property is owned by a land owner that is interested in selling the property to the City. Ten test borings have been drilled on this property and the underground formation consists of clay to 30 feet and then solid granite. One of the test borings had a 2 foot layer of broken (weathered) granite between the clay and the solid granite. This test boring was pumped at 25 gpm. The City does not own this property and the cost to purchase this property is high in comparison to the amount of water available on this property.

For comparison purposes, this alternative includes the northwest wellfield with 105 low capacity wells spread over many different property parcels, two treatments plants, connecting watermain, west wellfield, east 500,000 gallon water tower, industrial park distribution system and metering system. It is not practical to install this many wells in a shallow aquifer that has exhibited declining water levels.