Ceres Homeowners Losing Sleep As City's Well Work Stretches Through The Night

CERES (CBS13) — Ceres homeowners say they are losing sleep because of a city construction project where the work on drilling a water well often doesn't start until close to midnight.

If the bright flood lights weren't enough to disrupt your sleep, the construction crew says it gets a lot louder when they try to pump a well.

Neighbors say they can see and hear their tax dollars hard at work—unfortunately at a time when people like John Campidonica say they're trying to sleep.

"Monday night, Tuesday night, it was pretty much constant. The whole night. Then Wednesday night, they shut down," he said.

But early Thursday morning, he says, work started up again. His wife filed a noise complaint, but was told city projects don't have to abide by the noise ordinance. She was told the city is searching for drinkable water at Riverview Park, and needs to work around the clock to keep the well from caving in.

Max Nicholson is happy to see the project is happening.

"They had to sink the well lower to get to the ground water. I'm glad to see it get done," he said.

Construction crews say they need to first dig, then wait six hours before trying to pump it. That puts the pumping in the 11 p.m. hour.

Neighbors got a notice from the city warning the pumping would go on this late.

"They did notify the people adjacent to the park, they just didn't go far enough, I guess," Campidonica said.

For light sleepers, the drilling is a nightmare that won't go away.

The construction foreman says they'll have to run the pump for approximately two hours, meaning light sleepers won't be getting much peace and quiet until after 1 a.m.