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Audio articles on Wilson County News made possible by C Street Gift Shop in downtown Floresville!
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Floresville water operator Wesley Pelech opens a valve Aug. 9 to demonstrate the flow of the city’s new $2.9 million Plaza Well as fellow water operator Keith Mayberry and Brady Kosub of M&S Engineering look on. WILLIAM J. GIBBS JR./Wilson County News
FLORESVILLE – The COVID-19 pandemic, a deep freeze, and a floundering national economy all proved to be formidable foes, but they did not overcome the city’s Plaza Well project, which now is online.
City employees, elected officials, and guests met at the site off U.S. 181 Aug. 9 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the almost $2.9 million well, which was financed with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Brady Kosub of M&S Engineering said the well replaces an older unit that had to be decommissioned at the site after its gravel filter failed and a casing cracked, allowing a small quantity of oil to seep into the water. He said the new well — which draws water from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer — has a depth of 1,040 feet, well below the water table that is at approximately 220 feet.
“The new well produces 60 percent more water than the old well,” Kosub said. “With regular maintenance, it’s going to last a long time.”
As for the previous well, located 372 feet from the new one, the city’s website indicates it was drilled in 1985. Officials said earlier that it would be plugged and sealed.
In addition to the Plaza Well, Floresville’s businesses and growing resident population are sustained with water from the B Street and Hospital Boulevard wells. The three wells can produce a total volume of 5.5 million gallons per day.
