The City of Chiloquin currently relies on one well, Well No. 1, located near City Hall, as the primary water supply for the city and has seen a steady decline in the production from this primary water source. The City cannot use water from Well No. 2, located near Spinks Park, due to extensive sand, taste, and odor issues from the water pumped at this well.
Water Well No. 1, drilled in 1940, has an approximate production capacity of 650 gallons per minute and feeds an above-ground welded steel gallon reservoir with a capacity of 500,000 gallons. As part of the 2016 Waster Master Plan submitted by Adkins Consulting Engineering to the City of Chiloquin, several options were provided as an additional water supply source to meet the community's needs and provide redundancy for the City. The City has not completed any major water system improvements since the early 1990s when it constructed the 500,000-gallon reservoir.
The City Council decided to move forward with the recommended option to construct a new well on the west side of the river. This new well needs to have a similar capacity to the existing Well No. 1. The new well will be drilled down to a depth of 1700 feet (same as Well No. 1) to reach the lower confined aquifer so that it will not impact the upper unconfined aquifer used by other wells throughout the community (see picture below). For more information regarding aquifers and groundwater, click the link below for the USGS website.
The City applied for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from Business Oregon, which administers these grants for the State of Oregon that can be used to fund projects such as public works infrastructure, including water and wastewater treatment plants.
This project also includes funding to replace all water meters with new electronic meters, making reading the meters and billing faster and easier. The new meters will also give the city continuous and historical data to help quickly find leaks or other water issues. Additionally, once the new well is ready, the city will rebuild the current well, giving Chiloquin a complete backup water system to serve the city well into the future.
Project Update - March 2026
The City of Chiloquin continues to make strong progress on the new well project, an important investment in the community’s long-term water system. Water quality and production testing are currently underway, and early results are very positive. These tests are a key step in confirming that the new well will provide a safe, reliable source of drinking water for our community. The project is currently on schedule and, to date, is coming in significantly under budget, an encouraging outcome that reflects careful planning and strong project management. The City anticipates beginning construction of the new pump house in the near future. This facility will house the equipment needed to bring the new well fully online and integrate it into the City’s water system. At this time, the project remains on track for completion by fall 2026.
Looking ahead, the next phase of work will focus on rebuilding Well #1. This effort will create full system redundancy, ensuring that the City can maintain reliable water service even during maintenance, repairs, or unexpected issues. Together, these improvements represent a major step forward in strengthening Chiloquin’s water infrastructure and preparing for future needs.
Project Update - October 2025
Chiloquin’s Water Well and Meter Project continues to make substantial progress. Crews drilled down 650 feet into the basalt layer, where the well casing and seal were placed. This was less than the planned 1,000 feet, helping to save costs on the project. Work on the water lines is also progressing, with most of the lines expected to be completed within the coming weeks. Additionally, a change in construction plans at the Highway 422 crossing resulted in several thousand dollars in savings. At the October 14 City Council meeting, City Engineer Dan Scalas reported that drilling for the new well has been completed at 1,200 feet, where crews found a strong and clean water source. The project was initially designed for 1,700 feet, so stopping early means potential savings for the city. The contractor is now finishing well development and testing to confirm water quality and flow capacity. Early test results show no issues with iron, manganese, or other common minerals, and the final tests are expected soon. Once complete, work will move forward to connect the new well to the city’s water system.
The new digital water meters, part of the same modernization project, which will allow the City to track water usage more accurately, reduce leaks, and improve billing efficiency, are almost all installed. The new system will help residents and the City better manage water resources, encourage conservation, and ensure fair and accurate billing.
Project Update - June 2025
The groundbreaking ceremony was held at the new well site on Thursday, June 26, 2025, to commemorate the start of the drilling project. The video recording can be seen on the city's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Fy4FL94kE/.
Project Update - April 2025
The city council approved A Notice of Award and Agreement with Morello Construction for the water well project. The council also approved increasing the loan by $200,000 to support the new water well project. • was approved, pending final review by the City’s attorney. A groundbreaking ceremony is being scheduled for Thursday, June 26, at 11 am on the site of the new well.
Project Update - October 2024
The city opened the bidding process in October for this project and will close the bidding process on November 7th, after which the winning bid will be submitted to the city council for approval.
Project Update - December 2023
Recent activities for the new well include the fully executed Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) agreement that completes the project funding and the posting for a grant administrator for the CDBG grant. The city is anticipated to break ground for the new well by summer. Once the new well is online, approximately 18-24 months later, the existing well will be rebuilt from the ground up.
Project Update - August 2023
The city's Environmental Assessment for the project has been accepted and approved.
Project Update - July 2022
At the end of July 2022, the City of Chiloquin received conditional approval for their Community Development Block Grant from Business Oregon for $2,500,000 to build the new well. Over the next couple of months, the agreement between Business Oregon and the City of Chiloquin will be completed, and then the city will submit the project to bid.
Check back here for additional information regarding this new water well project for the City of Chiloquin.
