All’s well that ends well … especially if you drill far enough down. In this case, more than 1,000 feet.
Liberty recently celebrated the completion of Red Rock Well No. 2 – a much-needed investment made to better serve customers in Taney County with increased water capacity, storage, and reliability. Liberty staff, representatives from the community, and even a next-door neighbor were on hand to learn more about the project and check out the high-quality H2O now available to them.
“Liberty has been in this area for more than a century, from operating the historic Ozark Beach Dam, serving as the electric provider, and now as your water utility,” said Tony Penna, President of water operations in Missouri and Arkansas. “We want the communities we serve to have the best and most reliable service we can provide, and this new infrastructure project helps us to do that.”
When Liberty acquired Ozark International Water & Sewer – which included the Venice on the Lake system – in 2018, one of the first priorities was getting pipelines set at the proper depth and increasing capacity to address the frequent low-pressure events experienced by customers. Following approval by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and successful completion of an environmental study at the site selected for the new well, work began in 2024 to clear the site of trees and begin drilling.
“We drilled down 1,010 feet through really hard Missouri stone,” said Eric Larsen, Liberty Senior Manager of Capital Administration and Planning. “It was a big deal to get down that deep. Right now, our pump is sitting at about 500 feet of depth. The water tables in this area can rise and fall, so we’ll be able to lower the pump as needed should the aquifer level decline.”
In 2025, crews put the finishing touches on the well itself, installed an on-site generator, and began building a well house to contain the above-ground piping. The new well went online earlier this year.
Debra Rubatt, who lives on property adjacent to the site of the well, said that access to fresh, reliable water was worth the wait (not to mention the construction noise coming from next door).
“I went through two water system owners before Liberty,” she said. “We had boil advisories all the time, and the water would get muddy. Liberty would bring me cases of water when they came in. But the water is clear now. This new well is already making a great difference, and I congratulate them for doing a great job.”
To cap off the event, attendees witnessed the well’s flushing system in action, with the release of cold, crystal-clear water from the external valve.
While the well’s completion was a major milestone, work isn’t finished just yet. The next phase of the project will see the installation of an above-ground water tank that will stand more than 180 feet tall and have the capacity to hold 100,000 gallons of water. That work is expected to conclude in 2028.
Liberty crews and contractors continue the work throughout the area of updating aged piping with modern materials properly installed so that they serve customers for decades to come.
“There are a lot of old pipes in this system,” said Larsen. “The pipes are the backbone of any system that gets water to your home. We’ll replace the last 1,200 feet of pipe this year, so we’ll have all new pipe between this new well and the one on Sundown Lane. This well currently runs at about 335 gallons per minute (GPM). Well No. 1 up the hill runs about 70 GPM.”
The increased GPM will allow Liberty to maintain supply reliability during periods of peak demand as well as pressure consistency and will also allow for growth in the area.
Larsen said that the new well will soon be tied into the nearby Honey Lane well, further improving service for customers.
“When we’re finished, you’re going to have very high-quality water service for everyone living in this beautiful area.”