Small Town News

Rehoboth Lynch well project keeps water drinkable

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Lost in the shuffle of Rehoboth Beach's wastewater alternative saga was the story of one of the city's most expensive and longest-running projects: the Lynch well.

The history of the Lynch well, located on Route 1 near Holland Glade Road, goes back to the early 1950s, when the city moved its wells to the site.

Mayor Sam Cooper said in 1989, the state widened Route 1, affecting one of the wells. The city and the state worked for 15 years on a settlement, finally agreeing to $900,000 compensation for the city, Cooper said.

Around the time of the settlement, the city realized the facility was quite antiquated. The old facility looked somewhat like a ramshackle house among the shopping outlets on Route 1. The city decided to rebuild the entire facility and approached the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to replace two wells off Holland Glade Road.

The project hit a detour when a small amount of lindane was found in the water of one of the wells. There was not much, but it caused enough of a concern for the city to go back and revise die plans for the new facility. The lindane was removed via carbon filtration. The city then got a $5 million grant from the state's revolving water fund and was able to complete the project The faculty went online in July 2009.

Rehoboth has four active wells that feed into the central facility - Wells 2,3,9 and 10. Cooper said the odd numbering sequence comes from a state request to differentiate active wells from those that have been abandoned.

The water goes through an activated carbon filter, which removes organic material such as pesticides, as well as air stripping, which helps raise the water's pH level.

Cooper said the city supplies water to areas east of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, except for Hen-lopen Acres. The city contracts with the county to provide water and sewer to Dewey Beach and also provides water and sewer for North Shores. Cooper said the city also provides water for developments on the west side of the canal, such as Canal Corkran and as far away as Atlantic Liquors, located just before Route 24.

Cooper said the total project cost close to $7 million. Besides the settlement money and the grant from the state, the city also funded a portion of the project itself.

The Lynch well produces 2,700 to 2,800 gallons of water per minute, or around 4.5 million gallons a day. The site represents about 60 percent to 65 percent of the city's water capacity, Cooper said. "It's hugely important," he said. "It's the best quality of water we have, it's closest to town so the pumping cost is smaller. All around, it's the most important well field we have by far."





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