Ongoing problems reported at Suring well

The village of Suring is working with engineers to streamline the arsenic removal process of one of its wells. Representatives from Robert E. Lee & Associates met on April 21 with the Suring Village Board to explain the progress made with arsenic removal at Well No. 2. David Welsing, vice president of the firm, said the situation is improving, but neither the village nor his firm are satisfied. The problem is caused when arsenic clings to the iron in the water, and the iron clogs the system, requiring time-consuming regeneration every three or four weeks. The village’s goal is to minimize the manual labor required for regeneration. Les Steffeck, Suring’s director of public works, said he performs regeneration tasks over a period of two to three days. He is required to return to the well to check its progress, which keeps him from other duties, he said. In addition, the well is off-line during regeneration. A representative of Robert E. Lee & Associates will meet with the Suring Village Board at 5 p.m. May 3 to further discuss the issue. Prior to the meeting, a representative from Envirogen Technologies Inc., the manufacturer of the equipment, is scheduled to visit Well No. 2 to look at the problem. Well No. 2 is located south of Suring at 8794 State Highway 32, near the intersection of Highway 32 and County Road M/Z. The well No. 2 project began in October 2009 when the well was shut down because the arsenic level exceeded Environmental Protection Agency standards. Since then, a well station has been built to house the equipment that filters out arsenic and iron.