USA, Colorado:

City of Aspen Yields 'Positive' Results from Geothermal Test (Aspen Business Journal)

(Courtesy Chris Council/Aspen Daily News)

The city of Aspen and its contractor have completed the final stage of drilling a geothermal test well and, they say, initial test results are positive in terms of pressure, geologic layer and temperature.

The test well, which is 1,520 feet deep, has water flowing to the surface with initial estimates of temperatures being around the 90-degree range at the bottom of the well and just below 70 degrees at the surface.

The city’s consultant, John Kaufman said in addition to the warm temperatures, there were other surprises.

“The water level came in higher than we expected,” he said. “We expected the water level to be around that of the creek based on old mine maps but it actually came in artesian at the ground surface at 29 psi (pounds per square inch). Normal pressure in a household faucet is about 60 psi, so this means no pump is needed and the water is really clear. It’s a great benefit to the city.”

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