An old well may become a new source of water for Sandy Lake borough.

Council members have kicked the issue around for years and are now ready to look into the possibility of reopening Carpenter's Well, which was closed when the Patton Well site opened about 15 years ago.

They voted Wednesday to authorize the borough engineer to move forward with a test boring to see if the ground will hold the new 80-foot-high water tank they will need at the site on state Route 173 to put that well back into operation.

The testing will cost between $4,000 and $5,000, according to Councilman Curtis Kerns.

"Once we get that information, if the site's suitable for a tank, we can proceed in that direction," Kerns said.

Kerns explained that the Patton Road well has too much iron in the water and has been causing problems in some areas of town with residents experiencing rusty water at times.

If they can reopen Carpenter's well, he said, they would shut down the Patton Road well, but keep it operational in case of emergency.

Borough maintenance supervisor David Umstead said they will also need to replace about 2,000 feet of water line at the Carpenter's well site.

There is no estimated cost on the proposed project yet, but Councilman Brad Martin made a motion to hire Charlene Philp, a grant writer, to help the borough seek grants to complete the construction should the test boring show it is feasible.

Martin said they would pay her $8 an hour.

"I think $3,000 to $5,000 is reasonable to spend towards that," he said.

Council unanimously approved that motion.

Council President Robert Kaltenbaugh said, "It's a preliminary step just to get things started ... the first two baby steps on this project."