1997 Ford Taurus coolant leak at block by water pump

I think this is what you are trying to describe ?

FRONT COVER
Removal
Disconnect negative battery cable. Drain cooling system. Loosen water pump pulley. Remove accessory drive belts, water pump pulley and accessory drive belt tensioner. Remove coolant hoses from water pump. Raise and support vehicle.
Remove right front wheel. Remove 4 retaining bolts and crankshaft pulley. Remove crankshaft damper retaining bolt. Using Crankshaft Damper Remover (T58P-6316-D) and Adapter (T82L-6316-B), remove crankshaft damper. Remove oil pan. See OIL PAN . Remove retaining bolts, front cover (with water pump) and gasket. See Fig. 6 .
Installation
To install, reverse removal procedure. Use thread sealant on specified bolts. See Fig. 6 . Tighten bolts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS .
Coat seal lip and crankshaft damper surface with engine oil before installing. Using Vibration Damper/Seal Installer (T82L-6316-A) and Seal Installer (T70P-6B070-A), install seal.
Apply Sealant (D6AZ-19562-BA) to crankshaft damper keyway before installing damper. Use Vibration Damper/Seal Installer (T82L-6316-A) to install damper. Tighten bolts/nuts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Refill cooling system.

The leak is probably at the gasket points where my arrows are .. front cover to block inlet/outlet ..from your first description it doesn't seem to be a BAD leak ...but any leak is not a good leak .. hopefully it's just a failed gasket.. you will have to strip down and check for damage ... obviously you don't want any contaminents around the chain area so a very good clean up is the order of the day .. hope this helps