The community well system is probably over 100 years old, installed in 1910 or 1920's. The well itself is over 33 meters (100 feet) deep. It was originally built to operate without electricity, using a technology called a 'ram pump' (formally a 'Hydraulic Ram Pump').

It consisted of four major components:

1. The well itself, in the current small wooden building, which is still in operation.

2. A second building, which is the small concrete structure downhill from the wooden building, which contained the "ram pump". Not used anymore.

3. A large water tank that was sitting on the hillside, about 50 feet above these buildings. This was cut up but still resides on the hillside, and.

4. The pipes to distribute the water to the seven homes upriver of the pump house. These main pipes are still in use today!

The way the ram pump worked is interesting. The original well was an artesian well, meaning the water came up out of the ground naturally to fill (E) in the diagram. This water was then piped down to the concrete building via a large pipe (A). Then the ram pump (C), slowly filled up its tank.

When the tank was filled, a mechanical valve opened (b), creating a momentary pressure increase in (C). This was enough pressure to create a pulse of higher pressure water in pipe (D) to send water to the tank up on the hillside. Amazingly, using no electricity !!

Because the tank on the hillside was at a higher elevation than the homes, the water in the tank naturally flowed into the kitchens and shower faucets in each home.

Once electricity arrived (1940's ??) the well was converted to a electric pump system. This consisted of a very large electric motor mounted inside of the pump house, connected to two (2) pipes running into the well ending at a 'foot valve'. This type of system is still popular, and is called a "jet pump" system.

Every fall this system was shut down and re-started in spring. Re-starting the pump meant the pump had to be "primed" which consisted of using a bucket of river water poured into the pump before turning it on. (Once this newfangled system was installed, the old system, consisting of the large pipe to the concrete block house, and the ram pump inside, were disconnected and abandoned)

Benefits of the new system:

1. Consistent water supply not dependent on the ram pump system

2. No tank needed on the hillside (it was abandoned)

3. Ram pump not needed (it was abandoned)

In the mid 1980's, to eliminate the priming problems in the spring, and reduce the risk of winter freeze damage, the old pump and well piping were removed, and replaced with a simple submersible pump system, which is still in operation.

This consists of a long narrow pump (see diagram) that fits inside the well pipe, approximately 12 meters (~40 feet) down into the well, connected with plastic piping. When the pump is energized in the spring, it simply starts pumping water up the pipe into the pump house to be distributed to the homes.

In 2023 the community plans several new upgrades to the system. The major upgrade planned is replacing the small steel pressure tank in the wooden pump house building, with a larger non-metallic tank (see picture of proposed tank).

Benefits:

1. the new pressure tank is non-metallic, eliminating rusting

2. the air-bladder is replaceable

3. the tank is 3 times bigger providing more consistent pressure to each home

4. this larger tank reduces start-stop cycling of our aging submersible pump