With permits issued and the contractor hired, we are poised to start construction on the new observatory in Lake Riverside. Events, however, have been working against us.

Two weeks ago, I went out to do some basic maintenance, shut down the irrigation, and just make sure things were all right (no gophers!) after being away for several weeks. I was happy to find no new gopher holes. But after mowing the grass, I went in to wash my hands and there was no water pressure at the tap. I checked the water shut-off (it was on), power to the well (it was on), and my heart sank.

Getting three references for well service from Dennis McQueary, a plumber who has done excellent work for us, I reached Eric Haley of Heritage Well Service who was able to come over and look at the problem. He replaced the control box and we were up and running. Whew. He did note that the pump was drawing more amperage than it should. That meant it is getting old and may fail soon, in two weeks or two years, no way to tell.

We learned last night that it was two weeks.

At about 8:30 pm, I saw my wife at the sink and saw the water running slower and slower. Out to the pump, I checked the points that trip when the pressure gets low, they were fine. There was power, but resetting the control box did not do anything. Eric was good enough to take my call on a Friday night and came out this morning. The diagnosis was quick — the pump is dead, probably with worn out bearings. He’ll pull it on Monday, and I’ll get a bid on the fix at that time. The plan is to replace the pump on Wednesday, just in time for Christmas.

So how does this relate to the observatory? Well, I’ll tell you. Rain kept the excavation from starting on Monday 12/15. Then it snowed on Wednesday, dropping 8 inches on Anza. They were going to start on Friday, but Terry Phillips of Anza Valley Backhoe could not get his equipment out of the ice and snow.

The next target date was Monday, 12/22, but now that’s the day the well is set to be pulled. They can’t really work in the same area. The observatory will be next to the well, and will house the well equipment that is above ground now. This picture shows the proposed location outlined in green.

Clearly not safe to be pulling the well pump and digging a foundation right next to the work. I hope that construction will begin on 12/29.