Water Utility Well No. 7 – Madison WI

Description

The Water Utility Well No. 7 in Madison Wisconsin was constructed in 1939. The project proposal began in 1938 and was completed a year later by McCarthy Well Company. The construction of the project experienced several delays due to weather and other complications. Upon its completion, it began to provide the surrounding area, mainly Bluff Village with clean and sanitary water. Initiation and partial funding for the project was provided by the WPA of Madison. The original well constructed in 1939 contained a 135,000 gallon reservoir along with a well capacity of 2,100 gallons per minute. Inside the well house there was one booster pump and one well pump discharge system below ground. The cost of the project in 1939 was $64,000 and the WPA provided $28,000 to aid the cost. The well was built to provide the surrounding neighborhood and business districts of Madison Wisconsin with clean, and sanitary drinking water, and an adequate fire protection water source. It made a lasting difference in the area and allowed for clean water access for many. In 2014 the well was still functioning in its original condition and serving the same area of Madison. It was ruled in 2014 that the well unit was no longer up to code by the Department of Natural Resources standard. There was high potential for contamination and concerning amounts of manganese and iron levels in the water. At the time, Well House No. 7 was the second oldest functioning well in Madison. Renovation went underway in 2014 and since then Well No. 7 has now been completely redone.

As it stands today the facility is still in the original location from 1939 and has been restored to preserve the look of architecture from the 1930s. It is now a state of the art water facility, containing a 500,000-gallon reservoir, additional pumps, backwash filtering machines, and electrical and chemical equipment rooms. The size of the new facility is nearly three times larger and can more adequately accommodate the water demands of the local community. The Madison Water Utility company was cautious to preserve history from the original well house. A small amount of stone from the structure’s original exterior was incorporated in the new building. Along with this there is a photographic record of the old site on location