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Show Wafer drilling looks good Drilling on the city well located in Cedar Canyon reached 1470 feet last week and the final depth is planned for 1900 according to Cedar City engineer Matt Bulloch. While the quantity and quality of the water is not known yet, a core sample taken at 1100 ft. showed that the drilling has reached the Navajo sandstone formation-a formation which usually produces a good quality and quantity of water according to consulting geologist on the program Blair Maxfield. The city drilled another lest well this summer but had problems with cave-ins. The Superior Drilling Co. of Evergreen, Colorado has been working on the second well which has been "cased off" with concrete to prevent contamination of the water from the lower depths by water from the higher formations. "Several indications are quite encouraging. The well seems to have good pressure and we know that the Navajo is making water," said Maxfield. "This is a test hole. When we started we thought this was a 50-50 proposition. While chances seem better we don't want anyone to think that this is a sure thing," said Bulloch. Maxfield said that the Navajo sandstone throughout the state "historically" produces good water varying from 330 gallons to 4600 gallons per minute. Bulloch said that the well if successful suc-cessful could provide the city with up to $25 million in water.. "We'd almost be able to stop pumping water from the valley," stated City Councilman Jack Carter after listening to the report. The exploratory wells have cost the city approximately $115,000 to date at a rate of $3,000 per day for drilling costs. The money has been provided by a $2.5 million water bond which voters approved in 1978. If the well proves successful, the city may drill several other wells in the area. The geologist and engineer plan to expand the hole to 22" with a 16" casing should the well prove productive. |