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 email mini-series will explain both the historical context as well as 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.
From Concept to Design: The Original 2006 Clark Well Plan
The earliest formal design for the Clark Well dates back to 2006. Local heroes John Hart and Gregg Bronn from Hart Pacific Engineering prepared a preliminary concept for bringing the well into service as a small treatment facility connected to the Eastsound distribution system. The plan reflected the engineering assumptions and operational expectations of that time. The objective was straightforward: construct a compact facility capable of oxidizing and filtering naturally occurring iron and manganese before delivering the water into the existing distribution system.
The proposed treatment process was intentionally simple. Raw water from the well would receive an injection of sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) to oxidize dissolved iron and manganese. The chlorinated water would then pass through a static mixer to ensure proper chemical contact before entering a single pressure filtration vessel designed to remove the oxidized metals. After filtration, the treated water would be monitored for chlorine residual and discharged into the distribution system.
The design also incorporated a backwash and reclaim system for the filter, allowing ‘wash’ water to be captured and reused during the cleaning cycle. The treatment building itself was small — approximately twenty feet by twenty feet — housing the filtration equipment, chemical feed systems, and basic control components. Outside the building, the wellhead, piping connections, and utility services were arranged to tie directly into the existing transmission infrastructure along Mt. Baker Road.
In many respects, the 2006 design represented a typical small groundwater treatment installation of its era. The facility relied on delivered liquid chlorine for oxidation and disinfection, assumed relatively stable water chemistry, and emphasized minimal capital investment. The approach prioritized simplicity and low construction cost, reflecting the understanding of the aquifer and the operational goals for the system at that time.
A comparison of project costs across time also benefits from recognizing the role of inflation and the time value of money. The preliminary concept prepared in 2006 anticipated a much simpler facility and reflected construction pricing conditions of that period. Over the nearly two decades since that design was prepared, construction costs in the United States have increased substantially. Using standard construction inflation indices, costs for similar infrastructure have increased by roughly 95 to 110 percent between 2006 and 2025.
In practical terms, a treatment facility like this one that might have been constructed for approximately $600,000 in the mid-2000s would represent an investment of roughly $1.15 to $1.25 million in today’s dollars, even before accounting for the expanded treatment scope, resilience features, and operational improvements incorporated into the modern Clark Well design. Seen in this context, the modern Clark Well project — now estimated at approximately $1.2 million — is not dramatically different in scale from what the original concept would represent if constructed today. The primary differences reflect expanded treatment capability, improved operational resilience, and the natural effect of nearly two decades of construction inflation.
The Modern Design
Over the years that followed, however, Eastsound Water gained a deeper understanding of both the aquifer and the broader operational context in which the system would function. Pilot testing demonstrated that the groundwater chemistry was more complex than originally assumed, and industry standards for treatment reliability, monitoring, and resiliency continued to evolve. At the same time, the experience of operating an island water system underscored the importance of designing infrastructure that could function independently during supply disruptions or regional emergencies.
As the project was revisited nearly two decades later, the treatment strategy evolved accordingly. The modern Clark Well design retains the original goal of oxidizing and filtering iron and manganese, but it incorporates a far more comprehensive approach to reliability, monitoring, and long-term operation. The facility now includes improved oxidation control, optimized filtration media, expanded monitoring systems, and on-site chlorine generation that eliminates dependence on delivered chemicals.
This progression does not represent a rejection of the earlier work. Rather, it reflects the natural evolution of a project that has benefited from years of additional knowledge, pilot testing, and operational experience. The 2006 design established the foundation for understanding how the Clark Well could be integrated into the Eastsound system. The current design builds upon that foundation, incorporating modern treatment strategies and resilience measures that were not part of the original concept.
Viewed in this context, the Clark Well project illustrates how infrastructure planning can mature over time. Early concepts provide a starting point, but thoughtful utilities revisit those assumptions as new information becomes available. The result is a facility that reflects both the lessons of the past and the expectations of the future — a system designed not only to function today, but to continue serving the community reliably for decades to come.
Stay tuned for the next installment soon…
Dan Burke
General Manager
Eastsound Water