Well Update


		Well Update Background With a healthy rate of growth and the obvious need to consider additional sources of water for the Village of Mukwonago, Aquifer Science & Technology, a division of Ruekert & Mielke (the engineering firm employed by The Village), began two years ago scouting potential areas for the placement of a high-capacity municipal well. The Village currently has four municipal wells, all of which are located on Mukwonago’s north side. Two of these are deep wells and two are shallow wells which provide a blend of water which is necessary as the water from the deep wells contains amounts of naturally-occurring radium. In order to meet government standards and lower that amount of radium, water from the shallow wells which is essentially radium-free is blended with water from the deep wells. Since all the municipal wells are on the north end of The Village, and growth toward the southwest seems inevitable, Aquifer Science & Technology concluded that it would be logical to scout for areas southwest of The Village for placement of the next municipal well which would take water from the shallow sand and gravel aquifer which would be blended with water from The Village’s deep wells.. Consideration was given to three different sites: the Greenwald property southeast of County ES which is the site of over 100 new home sites, the Elegant Farmer and the Phantom Lake YMCA Camp. After reviewing preliminary hydrogeologic studies, it was determined that a potential suitable location for another municipal well might be on the grounds of the YMCA Camp in close proximity to Upper Phantom Lake. The most recent detailed report on water flows was prepared in the 1982 report, “Phantom Lakes Waukesha County Feasibility Study Results: Management Alternatives” by the Wisconsin DNR, Bureau of Water Resources Management, Inland Lakes Renewal Section. This report prepared a complete water budget table for the Upper Lake which was a combination of direct precipitation from either runoff or rain and snow which falls directly into The Lake and from groundwater sources. From this study, it was determined that from all the springs which feed Upper Phantom Lake, a little over 300 gallons per minute come from the springs. Based on this information, it takes 12 to 18 months for the Upper Lake to be flushed. With the Mukwonago River flowing through it, the Lower Lake turns over at a much faster rate of 7-10 days. Given this information, the primary concern at the Phantom Lakes Management District is that should a high-capacity well (with a potential of extracting over 400 gallons per minute) be placed within close proximity of the Upper Lake, water would be drawn from the shallow aquifer that would otherwise supply the springs that feed The Lake, thus creating a backwater or stagnating The Lake. Further complicating the issue, the majority of water taken from the well would eventually exit the watershed after being used residentially or commercially in The Village after being treated at The Village’s sewage treatment plant and sent down the Fox River, forever gone from the local watershed. Test Protocol In April 2004, the Village of Mukwonago entered into an agreement with the Phantom Lake YMCA Camp which essentially permits The Village to explore the possibility of placing a shallow municipal well on the grounds at The Camp. Testing which would eventually be performed by Aquifer Science & Technology would be primarily concerned with the quantity and quality of water that such a well would produce. In January 2005, the Phantom Lakes Management District engaged the services of GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., to work in conjunction with Aquifer Science & Technology to independently monitor and interpret the results of the testing being performed on the YMCA Camp grounds. Aquifer Science & Technology and GZA came to an agreement on test parameters which includes the installation of seven observation wells, six of which will be nested pairs which will monitor both the shallow water table connected with The Upper Lake and the deeper, targeted sand aquifer. Along with that, one shallow well is being installed near The Lake and adjacent to the YMCA Camp production well. Two or three residential wells will also be monitored. The test is planned for 48 hours which could potentially extend another 24 hours if considered appropriate. The schedule for test drilling is not known at this time. Please feel free to visit the ‘Well Update’ category for future updates and results of the forthcoming testing. Given that the Lease Agreement between the Village of Mukwonago and the Phantom Lakes YMCA Camp was allowed to lapse along with concerns The Camp shared with neighboring residents and PLMD Board Members for the potential impact this well might have on the Lake, the Village needed to pursue another location in the general vicinity of the Y Camp for a potential well site. In December of 2005, the Village entered into an agreement with Dr. and Mrs. Glenn Caine who had recently purchased the horse farm on County J, immediately west of Y Camp Road for the next possible well site. Upon installation of a test well, along with a couple of observation wells, testing is slated to commence toward the end of January or February. If deemed a suitable source of potable water, the test well will become the site of the permanent hi-capacity well which could potentially extract up to 1000 gallons per minute. Working in harmony with Ruekert-Mielke, the PLMD and GZA Engineering are establishing a workable test protocol to the satisfaction of all parties. For the latest developments, please refer to the most recent Minutes here. The Phantom Lakes Management District fully realizes that The Village of Mukwonago needs to seek additional sources of water for future growth of the community. But being guardians of The Lakes, we share a deep concern for the impact that a high-capacity well may have on the future of the Phantom Lakes. Questions or concerns may be addressed by contacting the Phantom Lakes Management District at gonefishing@phantomlakes.us. Back To Top of Page