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Washington's
watetr system
soon out for bid
By FRANCES BISHOPP
Rappahannock Nm Staff Writer
Years of hard work wiH culminate in the next several weeks as the town of Washington prepares to put its water and distribution system project out for bid. The project has been in the planning process for decades, but only became an active and viable plan in the last four years. ^
In 1935, the town of Washington developed its first officiakwater system which consisted of approximately 200 feet of galvinized pipe buried under the streets to distribute the water. These pipes were fed from a healthy spring on Jenkins Mountain. A reservoir was built at the same time and the old well in front of the Courthouse that had supplied the town for many years was put into retirement.
The water was clean and tasted good and for years the system worked fairly well until the late ’40s and early ’50s when it was determined there was too much demand on the system and two additional wells were developed at the end of Piedmont Avenue. As early as 1955, however, the iron pipes had begun to show signs of wear and were springing small pinhole leaks due (o the soil chemistry which was corroding the outside of the pipes.
In 1980 the spring and the wells dried up due to drought and for several months the town was dependent on water that was trucked in from Orange.
This difficult period was the catalyst for a new well that was developed near Harris Hollow. This well far exceeded the town’s requirement of 25,000 gallons a day or 24 gallons a minute and, in fact, produced 250 gallons a minute. In addition to the prodigious output, the water quality was excellent.
Discussions had begun in the 1950s about replacing the town water system, but the cost was prohibitive
See Water, Page A-5
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