There was very good news for a change at yesterday's Madison Board of PubIic Works & Safety.

An innovative device purchased by the city to try and save one of the city's water wells is reportedly working perfectly.

The city's two newest wells which are about five years old began taking on sand and had to be shut down sometime ago. A couple of options the city used to try and save the wells failed.

Mike Wright, city superintendent of water and sewage, said yesterday the "aqua stream," is a second generation of a device used in Europe, and Madison is only the second place in the U.S. the device has been used. The other place is in Florida.

He said it was installed in the number three well last Thursday and is "a complete success." He said there is no sand being pumped and the device is allowing the well to pump to capacity.

The best news is that to get the well in working order it cost $7,600 while a new well would have cost at least $60,000. The city has spent over $19,000 so far on the number three well trying out different options. Wright said it should not cost more than $7,000 to $8,000 to also get well number four back in operation.

Mayor Markt Lytle said the forced closing of the wells caused a serious situation. He said if the city had lost another of its wells (and it did but only for a week due to a mechanical problem) and there had been a dry period, the could have been water rationing.

The new devices, when installed in both wells, should give the city 2 1/2 times the previous pumping capacity of the wells, Wright told the board.

Wright said at a previous meeting that the two wells should have lasted some 20 years, but evidently were not installed correctly...

The Layne-Atlantic Company Inc. has introduced a new suction flow control unit, known as Aquastream.

The installation of this new product in several Florida wells is proving to be a valuable aid in stopping sand production in sand-producing wells.

The installation of the latest Aquastream, unit, north of Frostproof, resulted in the production of 1250 gallons per minute (gpm) of sandfree water. Prior to installation of the six inch diameter unit, the sand produced at 1000 gpm was far in excess of manageable levels, and the well produced sand at flow rates as low as 200 gpm.

The unit is a suction flow control device which is designed to slow down and redirect the flow of water in a vertical well without reducing water production. By controlling the entrance velocity of water from. the well, the energy is dissipated vertically in a more uniform manner, resulting in a laminar flow and sand-free water.

By stopping sand from entering the well, Water suppliers can avoid the costly replacement of emitters, sprinkler heads, and pumping units. The. elimination of sand removal equipment is another savings, along with the reduction in water pressure required to push the water through the separator.

The Aquastream unit is constructed of slotted PVC pipe which is coated with a special silica/epoxy compound. The device can be produced in sizes as small as four inches in diameter, which can be installed in a six inch diameter well. The length of the Aquastream can be varied to fit most formations and screen settings. Since it has no moving parts, there are no operating costs and the unit is virtually maintenance free.

Because of its unique capabilities, Aquastream not only controls sand pumping, but can reduce drawdown, increase well yield, lower operating costs, and extend-the life of the well.