CENTERVILLE—At an Oct. 7 city council work session Centerville city leaders discussed the future of the Church Well, a facility that, despite its low yield, has been a popular source of drinking water for residents and people in surrounding areas since 2003.

The well, originally built in 1953, does not produce enough volume to be included in the city’s culinary water system. However, it gained widespread popularity in 2003 for providing an important source of non-fluoridated water for residents after Centerville began adding fluoride to its municipal supply. 

With the passage of a state law earlier this year that prohibits the fluoridation of municipal systems, Centerville has stopped the practice. While this eliminates the original reason for the filling station’s existence, local residents and people from surrounding communities continue to use the site regularly, drawn by the water’s taste and lack of chlorine, according to Public Works Director Mike Carlson.

“The Church Well is one of the best wells there is. It has a great taste, because someone told us all solids, the chemicals, are next to nothing,” Carlson said.

Despite the community benefit, maintaining the well and filling station has created a significant safety and liability issue, particularly during winter, Carlson said.

“Part of the problem is here we are throwing de-icers around our well houses... But as we’ve gotten going, we’re throwing out more and more and more to where it’s to the point where it scared me to keep putting it down,” he said.

The council discussed the need to protect the well and its users from contamination and considered several options proposed by Carlson, but each choice presented its own set of drawbacks.

Carlson gave the council five options to consider if they wished to keep the filling station open during the winter:

• Turn off water to the filling station and discontinue public access to the well site.

• Run water and allow public access only during non-freezing times of the year (May to September).

• Have the water department maintain the well and filling station 24/7 and find ways not to use de-icers.

• Continue to operate the well without making any changes, except to discontinue the use of de-icers.

• Charge users for the water to help fund the operations and maintenance of the filling station.

Council members discussed other options such as radiant heat to keep the filling station free of ice but all seemed cost-prohibitive.

“In light of the fact that we have had an incredibly major change to state code regarding fluoride, and it is now gone, I guess I’d like to see some data before we go and say, ‘Hey, we’re just going throw in this, you know, radiant heating,’” Councilmember Gina Hirst said.

City Manager Brant Hanson acknowledged the value of the service but said it poses a financial burden on the community. 

“It is a great service, but we, we're going to have to invest into it to make sure we protect that, that investment, but it’s the rate payers that are subsidizing the outside residents getting free water,” he said.

Ultimately, the council concluded it lacked sufficient data to make an informed decision on the well’s future. They authorized Carlson to install a float meter counter to compare water usage over an extended period, running from July 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026. This data will help city leaders in determining the best path forward for the beloved community resource, they said.