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August 6, 2003
DOWN FOR NEARLY A MONTH Beatty's main well on line
By RICHARD STEPHENS
The well, formerly operated by the Barrick Bullfrog Mine, had been out of service for almost a month, forcing the town to use water from another well that had high fluoride content. Repairs on the well were delayed when a truck carrying a replacement motor was involved in an accident, damaging a protective coating on the motor. The Utah crew that replaced the pump was also slightly delayed in arriving when one of the trucks carrying their equipment blew six tires. The 200-horsepower, cylinder-shaped motor had to be pulled from a depth of more than 1,000 feet. Beatty Water and Sanitation District Manager Jim Weeks estimated the total cost of parts and labor at approximately $90,000. At their July 31 meeting, Weeks told the water board that the well is normally pumped at 500 gallons per minute for 12 hours a day. He said that he had received inquiries from Nevada Linen Supply regarding a plant they were considering locating in Beatty and had determined that the operation would require running the pump two or three extra hours a day. At that same meeting, two groups approached the board to seek permission to use its building on Main Street near the Beatty Museum. The Church of Christ, which has been meeting in private homes, would like to use the building for its meetings to have a regular place to meet and to make itself more visible to the community. The Beatty Senior Center is also seeking to use the building to relocate its thrift shop from an un-air-conditioned, unheated shed. The board, operating with a bare quorum because two members were out of town, tabled consideration of the groups' requests, along with several other matters, until its next meeting in hopes of having a full board present. The board did approve posting a "for sale" sign on the district's property near Scotty's Junction. This land was originally acquired for its water rights at a time when the town had a higher population and was desperate for an adequate source of water. In voting to support BGID member Brad Hunt's appointment to the Nye County Debt Management Commission, board members expressed irritation with a letter the county sent to members of all boards pressuring them to submit nominees. Chairman Dan Kump noted that members of the board were already serving as unpaid volunteers. The board did understand, however, that with only one member on the commission and nominations overdue, the county officials were desperate to fill the legally required but not terribly popular position. |
