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Well Number 5, also called 164th Street Artesian Well, is an artesian well in North Lynnwood, Washington at Swamp Creek. The well puts out between 10–50 US gallons (38–189 L; 8.3–41.6 imp gal) per minute.[a]
It is one of ten artesian wells that originally supplied the Alderwood area in the 1950s.[4] The other nine were capped when the water district contracted with the city of Everett for its supply.[5] Well Number 5, originally drilled with a 12-inch (300 mm) pipe to 438 feet (134 m) and backfilled,[6] taps the Intercity Aquifer between 100–200 feet (30–61 m) below the surface.[7][3] In 1999, the well's "secret" location was revealed in connection with public planning related to unrelated city development, upsetting some people,[8][b] and in the early 2000s, when the well's taps were moved c. 100 feet (30 m) from a wooded area beside Swamp Creek to a more visible structure alongside 164th Street, the upgraded accessibility again met resistance from some people.[10][11]
The water from the well is popular with people in the Puget Sound Area who prefer water without fluoridation or chlorination,[11] including raw water enthusiasts and brewers.[3][4][12] It is regularly tested for microbes and contamination, and is "one of the rare raw water sources in the country that is also part of a public water district and is held to the same strict EPA and Department of Health standards as tap [water]".[13] As of 2016[update], the well had never failed a quality test in 60 years.[2] The water district that owns the well won American Water Works Association's national tapwater taste test in 2018.[14][15]
The well is established as part of the culture of Lynnwood.[16][17] It has been cited as a "welcome touch of the country" reminiscent of Lynnwood's previously rural character, now become a "bland city".[18]
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- An official Washington State Department of Ecology document states a flow rate of 50 gallons per minute;[1] popular press often states 10 gallons per minute.[2][3]
- A Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist defended himself to his readers saying "Some readers "thought that I'd 'ruined a good thing'" by revealing Well Number 5's location in print, but "the 'secret' has been pretty much known for decades".[9]
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