Houghton Approves Well Replacement Work with Klieman Pump and Well Drilling to Resolve a Water Pump Issue

Houghton will move forward on a well replacement project for the city’s water system. Houghton’s city water system pumps water from an aquifer below the bedrock of Portage Lake. There are three wells, that the city has had regular maintenance conducted to ensure pumps can effectively move water to homes and businesses. It was determined that one pump, that has given the city issues in the past, will work better if moved to a new location on site. Waara says that the main issue with the pump has to deal with effectively cleaning the screens below the ground.

Charter section 2-324 does provide for exceptions and permits the Council to agree without bidding, and this is the quote from it, where competitive bidding is not practical or where no advantage would result to the City.” I posit in this instance that we have the need to get this work done, and the party with whom we would be working is well-trusted. Having performed most of our pump work and well maintenance over the past several decades. Trying to find someone else and hoping for a better price may not be of advantage to the city. – Eric Waara, City Manager, City of Houghton

Houghton will not bid on the well project because of the need to supply a reliable water source to residents and businesses, as well as the likelihood that bids will include project estimates higher than what was already quoted. An additional factor Houghton’s council considered was the large scope of the project and the lack of notable companies in the region that could complete such work. Houghton will work with Klieman Pump and Well Drilling for the work. The estimated cost to replace the well will total a little more than 143, 000 dollars.