A matter of taste: 164th Street well draws drinkers near and far

Published 7:54 pm Tuesday, August 17, 2010

LYNNWOOD — Even with only 10 cars, it’s a tight fit in the gravel parking lot off 164th Street Southwest between Manor Way and Ash Way where people line up to fill plastic jugs and bottles with well water.

Avoiding health risks and a taste that some people swear is noticeably better than bottled water are among the perks that draw locals and people from as far as West Seattle to wait in line.

Steve Patterson of West Seattle said it’s the perceived health benefits of drinking naturally filtered water that brings him back.

“I don’t know anywhere else to get truly good water,” Patterson said.

Patterson said he’s concerned with the extras found in public water, like fluoride and chloride, along with the chemicals in the plastic used for water bottles.

“You never know what you’re getting in bottled water,” he said. “This is the closest you can get to the (water) source.”

His wife, Holly Patterson, agreed: “I don’t trust bottled water,” she said. “I’ve heard it’s just tap water.”

The well, also known as Well No. 5 or the 164th Street Artesian Well, is maintained by the Alderwood Water and Wastewater District as a courtesy to those who want to avoid treated water. The well is 400 feet deep and is cased to roughly 120 feet. Approximately 10 gallons of water flows through the well per minute.

Natascha Trias of Seattle said she comes back every couple of weeks to refill.

“I like the taste and not paying for a big water bottle,” she said.