A willow branch and a Foothills rancher helped find a new water source for the hospice.
When the Foothills Country Hospice was first built in 2008, a well had been tied into the building, but within the first year it failed and for more than a decade the facility has had water trucked in by Big Rock Water Hauling. Though it came at a fair price for the charitable organization, a $16,000-per-year hit to the books was hard to swallow for board members.
The board began working on a solution and decided to try for another well. That’s when former chair David Moss connected hospice facilities manager Kevin Trotter with a water witcher to help determine where it would be best to drill.
“I’d seen this before in my life when it had worked, years ago, so I believed in him coming in,” said Trotter. “We ended up finding two locations.”
Howard Snider, an area rancher, arrived at the hospice grounds in the spring of 2020 with a y-shaped willow branch, about one-inch around, said Trotter. They went out for a walk on the grounds in areas they figured would have water based on the location of neighbouring wells and creeks.
In water witching, the willow branch will head to the ground when held above underground water.
Snider held the branch at the two “y” ends, and as he neared the first location the stick pulled slightly to the ground.
“We went to the second location we thought might be good, and this stick really went to the ground,” said Trotter.
Curious, he asked Snider if he could try on his own, and paced back and forth but had no reaction from the willow branch. He suggested they each hold onto one side of the branch and then hold hands.
“He couldn’t hold his half with one hand, it was pulling so hard to the ground, and mine was pulling so hard you could hear the bark starting to snap,” said Trotter. “It was incredible.”
A well was dug by Aaron Drilling and tied into the hospice through the original system. It produces about 1,440 gallons in a 24-hour period, and the facility uses about 4,000 gallons per week, he said.
With that output, he said he’ll try connecting the well to the landscaping and water fountain to further reduce the cost of hauled-in water.
He said with the cost savings from trucking water, the $30,000 well will be paid for in two years.
David West, current chair of the Foothills Country Hospice board, said the organization had been considering digging a new well for a few years.
“It had kind of been in the back of everyone’s minds for a while,” said West. “We kind of kept at it and encouraged it, and we looked at what the cost savings would be and what we were spending.”
The cost of drilling a well could have come anywhere between $20,000 and $50,000, and board members were hesitant to spend so much money given the fact the first well was unsuccessful.
“The hesitation early on was what if we don’t find water – a valid concern,” said West.
After Snider visited the property, the board members were more confident in digging the well and began applying for permits and arranging for Aaron Drilling to come out.
The well was switched on in January.
West said the cost of the project ended up being less than expected thanks to the generosity of the community. Aaron Drilling provided a discount to the hospice and a sizable donation from the Order of Saint Lazarus paid for the water filtration system, he said.
“We have to take our hats off to people who have helped to make things happen and the persistence of a board who saw a cost savings,” said West. “We’re pleased we have this, that it provides some cost savings and contributes to the longevity of the hospice.”
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