It has 32 alarms, can pump up to 575 gallons of water per minute, and can be controlled electronically from Onset Water Department Superintendent Paul Bokoski's office, which is about a half a mile away.

Onset Fire District's new $1.3 million well -- Pumping Station #7 --  was brought online in early April nearly a decade after the project was first introduced. The Water Commissioners and superintendent held an open house on Saturday, May 5, so the public could view the new system.

"It's got all the bells and whistles in it," explained Bokoski, who has worked for the district since 2009. "It came out very nice."

Getting state Department of Environmental of Protection approval for the well, which is located in the wooded area surrounding the district's Sand Pond Road office off of Cranberry Highway, was part of the reason the project had a delayed start.  Among the concerns was the fact that the area is a habitat for eastern box turtles, Bokoski explained.

Once the ducks (or turtles?) were in a row, however, the construction process, which began last November, took less than six months to complete.

The new pumping station is the most high-tech and energy-efficient in the Onset district.

Workers can adjust the number of gallons of water pumped with a push of a button on the touch screen computer in the station, as well as monitor nearly every other aspect of the well's operation. Bokoski has the same technology in his office and thus can do the same things remotely. He said he hopes to get the electronic system installed in all of the district's pumping stations.

The alarms alert workers about everything from too high or too low pH levels to elevated sump levels. The station also offers a "man down" button that a worker can press to alert help in the event of a medical emergency at the well.

The new well  also has a generator that will automatically kick on in the event of a power outage -- saving workers from having to manually connect an engine to keep the well operating.

Water Commissioners Brenda Eckstrom and Brian O'Hearne welcomed the curious visitors to the Water Department on Saturday and said they were excited to see the project completed.

Onset firefighter and former Water Commissioner Mike Sanborn, who was on the board when the project was first introduced, said he was thrilled to see it finally come to fruition.

"It's great," Sanborn said, noting the importance of having another water source: "If you don't have water, you don't have a district!"