City Of Bemidji Weighs Temporary & Permanent Solutions For Water Wells

The results of a well study were presented in front of the Bemidji City Council this week, and it was deemed that all sites tested were unsuitable for a new well location.

This means the city will be forced to look at alternatives to ensure clean water for the city in the future. Short-term solutions include putting a temporary water treatment site near the existing water treatment site on Gillett Drive near the Bemidji airport. Next, the city would have to figure out a long-term solution, which city engineers say would be to expand the existing plant. The public works department is hoping to have a short term fix by July of 2020, although it comes at price.

“The cost for the near-term treatment we’re estimating at around $2 million right now so somewhere in there and then, of course, the second part of that is near-term treatment then, we can use that system and that can operate while we’re designing and looking at a long-term, perhaps permanent treatment then that we can run all of wells through,” said Craig Gray, City of Bemidji Director of Public Works.

The permanent solution would cost anywhere from $10 to $13 million dollars and would take two years to complete.