Questions
Answer the following questions:
Q1 – What well number is this? That number is "A"
Q2 – The well was most recently dedicated in 2002. What year was this well installed? That number is "BCDE".
F = A + A
G = A + B
H = E - A
Final Location
You will find the final after a short, mostly paved walk. The final location is N 47° 40.FGF, W 122° 07.DCH
The container is a preform with a magnetized cap. It is not inside any building.
Parking
There is lots of public parking all around. At the courthouse, library, City Hall, City Hall parking garage, or even the park and ride nearby.
Posted Coordinates
You will find yourself standing near a drinking water supply well building. If they are rehabilitating the well, you may see water being pumped onto the ground nearby from a fire hose. Or you may see workers opening doors to do maintenance. Normally, it will be a quiet location in the midst of the City's municipal campus. Have a seat on the bench and enjoy your lunch.
Redmond's Drinking Water System
In Redmond, 35-40 percent of its drinking water comes from groundwater wells located in the City. The groundwater is in a shallow aquifer located beneath downtown and north and east in the Bear Creek and Evans Creek valleys. Redmond has a hybrid water system. Depending on where you live, you may drink water from the Cascade Mountains or groundwater pumped from Redmond's shallow aquifer, located just beneath your feet. Residents east of Lake Sammamish and the Sammamish River drink well water. During the summer, water from the Tolt Reservoir is blended with the well water to help meet peak summer demand.
Redmond's Groundwater History
As shown on the infographic, since Redmond gave up its surface water supply in the early 50s and drilled its first public supply well, Redmond has grown, and new wells were added over the next 30 years to keep up with population growth. At the same time, that population growth has brought new buildings, roads, and cars and so its aquifer has become more vulnerable to pollutant contamination.
Aquifer
Redmond's drinking water aquifer is an underground body of groundwater that is stored in spaces between sand and gravel. Supply wells pump groundwater from the shallow aquifer that resides beneath the downtown area and the Bear Creek and Evans Creek valleys.
Groundwater moves with gravity through the spaces within the soil. Soils control groundwater movement, where it enters (recharges) the aquifer and where it leaves (discharges). Redmond's aquifer is mostly recharged by precipitation when rain water infiltrates through the soil and reaches the water table. The water table is the top of the saturated zone of sand and gravel. The water table fluctuates with precipitation, reflecting seasonal precipitation patterns. At the posted coordinates, groundwater may be as little as five feet below the ground surface. Groundwater discharges occur in areas such as streams, springs and lakes where the water table is intercepted by the land surface. Wells also discharge groundwater through pumping.
Protecting Our Water
Reliable and high-quality drinking water is important. Redmond is committed to protecting its water supply, maintaining the City's water system, and planning for future years of service. It is far less expensive to prevent pollution that could contaminate groundwater because contaminated groundwater can be very expensive to clean up. The cleanup process lasts decades, causes supply wells to be shut down for years, and adds expensive treatment at wells.
In 1995, Redmond developed Wellhead Protection (WHP) Zones to protect the aquifer from depletion and pollution contamination. Redmond's Wellhead Protection (WHP) Program is part of Redmond's Public Works Department and works alongside the Water Utility to safeguard the aquifer through:
* Monitoring groundwater quality at observation wells,
* Pollution prevention outreach to businesses and residents,
* Land use review to ensure development is protective, and
* Inspecting businesses to ensure hazardous materials are safely managed.
The next time you consider applying chemicals or fertilizers to your lawn, or see a spill of gasoline or oil, consider that those pollutants may soak into the ground and ultimately make their way to your tap.