Gwinnett Daily Post

SUWANEE -- As city officials continue to search for locations for a well to irrigate Town Center Park, they've found a location to test.

The city of Suwanee has contracted with a company to drill a second well that it hopes will provide enough water to irrigate Town Center Park. The contract of $29,200 is with Middle Georgia Water Systems, Inc. so that the two wells combined can provide enough supply to irrigate the park.

The approval of the contract is expected to be on the Aug. 28 City Council Consent Agenda.

Mike Maddox, capital projects manager for the city, called it a "test well" because city officials, a geologist and an engineer have struggled to find an area that provides a minimum amount of pressure. Maddox has said the target is 30 gallons pumped per minute.

The second well site is on the City Hall side of Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road and the wells are about 150 feet apart, Maddox said.

Another site that was previously explored was behind the Kroger store at Suwanee Dam Road and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. Maddox said that area is an attractive water source, but was thought to be too expensive because of several utilities in the way.

City officials are exploring this in case a drought impacts the area like it did in 2007 and 2008. The well would avoid water restrictions from Gwinnett County, which currently supplies water to Suwanee.

The irrigation is one way city officials are trying to preserve the grass at the park. They have also added several types of grass that is more durable because of the increased activity around the park.