The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-07-28
A NEW WE'LL
Will be Drilled Near Old One.
City Council Takes this Ac-
tfOn Monday Evening

The city council held a special
meeting to discuss the city well
question and to listen to a repor
of the recent examination mad G
by Prof. j. E. Todd, ex-state
geologist, of the water taken
from the same.
Mr.. Todd had made a number
OF inquiries of the city officials
and others regarding the city
well and also the Gaynor we'll re-
Gently drilled. He said the water
from the city we'll was soft, pal
atable and wholesome when sep
arated from the fine clay which
comes up with it in the pumping
He believed that granite or
chrystaline rock had been struck
at the depth of about 260 feet,
but believed it to be granite
rather than a rock of sediment
airy origin. He gave as his prin.
cipal reason for that conclusion
that the quantity and quality and
level to which it rises appears to
be the same as in the Gaynor
and other wells in the vicinity
which are Of considerably greater
depths, and accounts for it from
the supposition that there is a
local rise in the granite where
the city we'll is located, that this
has lifted up the water stratum.
The main water supply probably
comes into the we'll at the juno
ton of the shale or soapstone
with the granite. From his OBJ
servations and examinations at
the pump house he did not think
that the water would clear up
under any circumstances.
Prof. TOdds recommendations
were to sink 9 inch or smaller
well as a test well, butin such a
way that it may be made perma-
nent, If later it seems desirable.
Let this be made with a jet drill
with rotary attachment for the
harder layers, so that clean sam
Piles Of the latter may be received.
This is of particular Importance
to determine when granite is
reached. The we'll should be put
down until granite or some other
chrys taline rock is reached.
While water may sometimes be
obtained from crevices in granite
the small chance of doing SO, and
the greater expense of drilling
granite renders it undesirable to
attempt it. Until granite is
reached there is hope of getting
more copious supplies of water
by going deeper.
This test we'll should be sunk
some distance from the present
well, at least so to Is feet. This
is to avoid the caving derange
ment of formations and local ex
haustion of water resulting from
the present well. The preferable
direction from the present vel
would be north or west for rea
sons already given. This tesr
we'll may strike a thicker part o.
the water stratum about 26O fee
down, and the upper muddy
flows may be cased out. Or il
may appear that the supposed
granite is a hard sandstone, in
which case there is much hope
of finding a more copious supply
below, which NAV really CORE
spond to some wells in the vicin.
ity. If, however, a thicker
portion of the water stratum is
not tapped and the bed rock is
proved to be granite he could
then recommend nothing else
than similar search in some
other place.
Another suggestion-More
water can be obtained by having
several wells some distance
apart, than from one large we'll
having an equivalent construc-
ton, but in this case small wells
could not be united so as to be
used with one pump, because the
connections between the wells
must be considerably less than
thirty feet above the general
level Of the water in the wells to
obtain siphonal action, and as
that water level is about fifty
feet below the surface such an
arrangement is evidently i'm
practicable here. Having found
water by a test we'll. sink as
large a well as can be economi.
cally pumped by one engine, but
plan to have another well and
pump in another place as your
city grows to require it.
After listening to the report OF
Prot. Todd, as above, Aldermen
Manley, Reeve and Mittelstaedt
were appointed a com mmittee tc