The New Clark Well & Treatment Plant
Eastsound Water has been in active development of a well site and a treatment facility over the past 4 years. Located across from the medical center, and in front of OPAL’s Wild Rose Meadow development, this new site has the ability to fundamentally change our future access to water resources by doubling our total production capacity. Secondary benefits include creating opportunities to rehabilitate much-needed pieces of our own infrastructure and consolidate our operations to run more efficiently.
This is the start of an email mini-series to explain both the historical context and well and technical detail of this new site. Our hope is that by the end of this series our members and customers will understand the significance of this project, learn about the technical and financial details, and get excited about the future ahead.
Testing the Aquifer Under Stress
When the Clark Well was first drilled, the obvious question wasn’t just whether it could produce water. The real question was how the aquifer would behave when it was pushed — not in theory, but under real operating conditions.
So in May of 2005, CR Hydrogeologic Consulting put the well through a full series of pump tests designed to answer exactly that question. It was probably good old John Kaltenbach and Ted Wixom doing the water work with Craig from our side.
The testing started gradually. Pumping rates were increased step by step so the hydrogeologists could watch how the aquifer responded. Then the well was run continuously for twenty-four hours — long enough to simulate the kind of sustained use the system might someday require. At its highest level, the well produced about eighty-seven gallons per minute during testing.
What they saw was exactly what you hope to see from a new groundwater source. As pumping increased, water levels dropped in a steady and predictable way and then stabilized. There were no sudden changes and no warning signs. The drawdown curves did not steepen unexpectedly, and there was no evidence that the aquifer was pinched off or limited in size. Everything about the response suggested a well-built well connected to a healthy aquifer.
When the pumps were shut off, the water level came back quickly — within hours it was already approaching its original level. That kind of recovery tells you something important. It means the aquifer isn’t just feeding the well from a small pocket of water near the casing. Instead, the pumping stress is being shared across a large body of groundwater.
Nearby wells were watched carefully during the test. None showed measurable long-term impact, which meant the Clark Well could operate without interfering with neighboring water users.
Taken together, the results gave the hydrogeologist a high level of confidence in the source. Based on the testing, the well was considered capable of producing up to 150 gallons per minute (approximately 66 million gallons per year). For context, that would roughly double our system’s current production capacity, so this is a really big deal. We have the ability to double our entire water volume with this one project, and that’s what makes this project so exciting. It will have a big impact on our future together.
Understanding the Water Itself
Once the pumping tests showed the aquifer could deliver water reliably, the next question was just as important: what kind of water would it produce?
Laboratory testing done at the time of drilling showed that the Clark Well produced fundamentally clean groundwater. All primary drinking water standards were met without treatment. Regulated inorganic compounds such as arsenic, nitrate, chromium, mercury, selenium, and cadmium were either not detected or present far below regulatory limits.
From a utility standpoint, that was an encouraging start. There were no signs of contamination and no indication that complicated treatment would be required.
In a coastal environment like Eastsound, one of the biggest concerns is saltwater intrusion. Elevated chloride can be an early warning sign that seawater is beginning to move inland through the aquifer. The Clark Well showed no such signal. Chloride and sulfate levels were modest, and electrical conductivity values were consistent with groundwater that is well protected from both surface and marine influence.
The testing also revealed something about the natural chemistry of the aquifer itself. Iron and manganese were present at modest levels — high enough to exceed aesthetic guidelines but not high enough to pose any health concern. Their presence is typical of groundwater formed under low-oxygen conditions, where dissolved metals remain in solution until they are exposed to air and filtered.
Hardness levels reflected the glacial sediments that form much of the island’s subsurface. The water carries dissolved calcium and magnesium that can influence taste and scaling but do not affect safety.
Put together, the results told a clear story. The Clark Well produced clean, stable, protected groundwater. Like many high-quality groundwater sources, it would need treatment to remove naturally occurring minerals before distribution, but nothing about the chemistry suggested difficulty or uncertainty. The water pointed toward straightforward oxidation and filtration — established approaches that utilities use every day.
Choosing to Wait
Despite these strong results, the Clark Well was not placed into service right away. In many ways, that decision defines the project.
At the time, the system was meeting demand. Drinking water standards were continuing to evolve, treatment technologies were improving, and the long-term role of the Clark Well had not yet fully taken shape. Moving forward immediately would have meant locking in a treatment design based on assumptions that were likely to change.
So instead, EWUA chose patience.
The well was secured and protected. The legal groundwork was completed. The performance characteristics were documented. The water quality profile was understood. But construction beyond testing was deferred.
That decision avoided what utilities often call stranded capital — infrastructure built too early that must later be modified or replaced before it ever delivers its full value. By waiting, EWUA preserved flexibility. When the time came to develop the Clark Well, the work could be done using current standards, proven treatment methods, and a clearer understanding of the system’s needs.
Over time those needs became easier to see. Infrastructure aged. Regulatory expectations increased. Emergency preparedness and climate variability became more immediate concerns rather than distant possibilities.
For Eastsound, the ongoing effort required to maintain older facilities — particularly the Purdue surface water system — underscored the value of a reliable groundwater source that could operate independently of surface conditions. And slowly, what had once been a promising project on paper began to look like an essential part of the system’s future.
In the next installment…
The Clark Well would remain quiet for many years, but when we returned to it, we did so with a purpose to turn a proven resource into a working part of Eastsound’s future.
Dan Burke
General Manager
Eastsound Water