Source: Sunday Republican (Springfield, MA)
GOSHEN, MA – The Goshen Fire Department station finds itself without drinking water, the result of a spring-fed well going dry.
Fire Chief Francis Dresser said the well, which is only six feet deep, was dug three years ago when the new fire station was built. The well was dug into ledge where a spring was tapped.
While the spring has fed wells in the area for years, a change in the drainage pattern of the lot from construction of the station may have affected the spring, Dresser speculated. The dry well poses no threat to water supplies needed for the fire tanker since that is filled from Highland Lake.
Dresser said one of the reasons the department did not dig deeper was the liklihood of salt intrusion from Route 9.
Dresser said there are several wells in town that are experiencing problems. He said that while shallow wells could experience water quality problems, there is no problem with deep wells.