Site work for a water / sewer project in Wisdom, Montana. Completed plans call for site work for a one-story above grade water / sewer project.

A qualified drilling contractor is sought to install two wells near Wisdom, Montana. The work includes installing a pumping well and a shallower observation well. A more detailed description of the required supplies and/or services is provided under the "Specifications and Pricing Schedule." Bidders must comply with the provided instructions and procedures. Special instructions include using the eMACS vendor registration and bid submission system. See Standard Terms and Conditions. The University will provide a written response by November 12, 2025, 2:00PM MDT to all questions received by November 7, 2025, 2:00PM MDT work must be completed by December 31, 2026. PURPOSE Three exploratory wells were previously drilled to 500 ft at three different locations in the Wisdom, Montana area (June 2025) to identify a site with suitable hydrogeologic characteristics for aquifer storage and recovery (ASR - a method to inject and extract water). One site will be selected for additional drilling to install a pumping well and a shallower observation well. The two wells drilled under this contract will be used along with the existing well to conduct an aquifer test to evaluate the site for ASR operations. Due to the potential for the site to have injection and extraction wells operating in the future, it is critical that the well bores be positively sealed and have sufficient shear strength to be shut in under pressure. SITE LOCATIONS :- The drilling site is located near Wisdom, MT. SITE SPECIFIC DETAILS The wells will be completed in sand zones which are bounded above and below by semi-lithified mudstone. Based on drilling the existing wells, heaving sands are present. Pumping Well: The pumping well will be drilled to a total depth of approximately 500 ft, with 12-inch steel casing used to prevent collapse. An 8-inch steel casing with 25-ft of stainless-steel screen at the bottom will be placed within the 12-inch casing (slot size will depend on results of ongoing sieve analysis). The 12-inch casing will then be pulled so that the shoe is 5 feet above the top of screen, exposing the screen and allowing the formation to create a natural filter pack. If needed, additional sand will be added to assure that the top of the filter pack is at least 5-feet above the top of the screen. Bentonite grout will be placed on top of the filter pack using a trimie pipe, with bentonite being placed and the 12-inch casing being removed in stages. Bentonite will extend to approximately 100 feet below ground surface. Cement will then be placed from the top of the bentonite to ground surface using a trimie pipe, with approximately 50 ft of the 12-inch casing remining in place. If needed, additional cement will be added after the initial cement has set to fill the annulus to ground surface. Observation Well: The observation well will be drilled to a total depth of approximately 320 ft, using 8-inch steel casing to prevent collapse. A 4-inch PVC well will be completed using 10-ft of 10-slot screen. The 8-inch casing will be pulled back to 5 feet above the top of screen, to expose the screen and allow the formation to create a natural filter pack. If needed, additional sand will be added to assure that filter pack is at least 5-feet above the top of screen. Bentonite grout will be placed on top of the filter pack using a trimie pipe, with bentonite being placed and the 8-inch casing being removed in stages. Bentonite will extend to approximately 100 feet below ground surface. Cement will then be placed from the top of the bentonite to ground surface using a trimie pipe, with approximately 50 ft of the 8-inch casing remaining in place. If needed, additional cement will be added after the initial cement has set to fill the annulus to ground surface. The contract term begins upon contract execution (estimated to be November 2025) and will end December 31, 2026 Drilling is anticipated to begin in November or December of 2025, after the contract is awarded.