Pateros Wells and Reservoir

Wildfire protection is costly. Varela helped Pateros make it possible.

In July 2014, the Carlton Complex Wildfire swept through Okanogan County in Washington State, causing massive damage in the City of Pateros.

Following the fire, Varela helped Pateros rebuild and fortify its infrastructure so the City and its 700 residents would be better prepared for future emergencies.

We helped the City assemble a $7.5M funding package, including grants from numerous Washington State agencies and appropriations from the State Legislature. The construction included two new wells and a new reservoir for the City’s drinking water system.

Well 3 Details

This well is 12-inches in diameter and approximately 100 feet deep into a sand and gravel aquifer. Pumping rate is 1,000 gpm with a VFD that allows for variable flow rate. The well is housed in a CMU block pump house building and is equipped with a back-up power generator in case of grid power failure.

Well 4 Details

This well is also 12-inches in diameter and approximately 100 feet deep into the same aquifer. The pumping rate of this well is also is 1,000 gpm with a VFD that allows for variable flow rate. The well is located in the center of Pateros’ promenade, so the pump house was built for multi-use function and includes an amphitheater stage for outdoor concerts and community events.

Washington State government was so pleased with their involvement in funding this project that Governor Jay Inslee attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the facility.

Reservoir Details

The new drinking water reservoir for the City is cast-in-place concrete with a volume of 564,000 gallons. Twelve hundred feet of 12-inch transmission main connects the reservoir to Pateros’ municipal water system. The overflow main and outfall flow to the Methow River, and the project included improvements to a kayak put-in/take-out site with a retaining wall.