A delay in getting a city well operational has cost the City of Oakdale $73,000 in pump shaft repairs due to the installer’s claim that the warranty had expired during the 3-year time the well sat inactive between installation of the shaft and the actual time the well was put in service.

The failure of the pump shaft has resulted in finger pointing between city officials, the manufacturer, MagnaDrive of Seattle and the installer, Amerine Systems of Oakdale.

The disagreement stems from not only who is liable for the repair cost, but where the fault of the unit’s failure lies. MagnaDrive claims the warranty period started when the shaft installation was finished in January 2006. Amerine Systems claims that the shaft installation passed its inspection by an outside firm hired by the city during the installation process and after it was installed.

A city official believes the warranty period should have begun in April 2009 when the well went operational but also acknowledged that the city waited too long in completing the environmental process.

Look for the full story in the March 9, 2011 issue of The Leader.