Union County water effort lauded
By Loretta Sorensen, Journal correspondent | Posted: Monday, July 30, 2007
WAKONDA, S.D. -- The National Environmental Protection Agency recently recognized the work the Clay Rural Water System (CRWS) of Wakonda, S.D., completed in southern Union County to bring quality drinking water to residents there.
The EPA presented one of 30 national 2006 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Awards to the CRWS in recognition of the expansion of the rural water services they brought to the area with the South Union Expansion Project.
CRWS Assistant Manager Greg Merrigan said the project took more than seven years to develop and complete.
"There were a lot of different angles to accomplish," Merrigan said. "There was always interest in rural water services in that area. When we were looking at connecting just the rural areas there, it wasn't economically feasible to develop an expansion. When we were able to add four housing developments to the expansion plan, then it made it possible for us to go ahead with the project."
A new water treatment plant and water tower located in the Wynstone housing development near Jefferson, S.D., not only brought the rural water system to people experiencing problems with their private wells. It also eliminated high radium levels found in some water sources.
"There's a lot of groundwater in that area since it's right next to the Missouri River," Merrigan said. "However, there's a lot of minerals in the water too. That's hard on plumbing and bathroom fixtures. Some of the residents were spending around $80 a month to treat the water. Now they're getting high quality water at a lower cost."
With low water levels, residents were also finding they had to drill wells deeper. Even that wasn't solving their water problems.
"One family had already dug deeper two different times, but their well was still running dry," Merrigan said. "About two weeks before we were able to connect them to the rural water system, their well went dry again. They just got by without water in their home until we were able to provide them with service."
The project funds were provided through a $4.3 million EPA state Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan. The loan funds were established by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974. Each receiving state could nominate one DWSRF project for the award.
Part of the criteria for the award was the demonstration of leadership in the areas of financing innovation, innovative approach to planning and/or project implementation, creative use of partnerships, and promotion of sustainable infrastructure. EPA Region 8 Administrator Robert E. Roberts said the project represented the kind of creativity that promotes sustainability while safeguarding public health.
"This was a rare opportunity for us to work on this kind of project," Merrigan said. "The project was designed to accommodate a larger number of users in the future. The water plant and pipeline are both oversized. Our customer base before this project was about 1,000 users. We're currently serving about 2,000 residences."
The EPA presented one of 30 national 2006 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Awards to the CRWS in recognition of the expansion of the rural water services they brought to the area with the South Union Expansion Project.
CRWS Assistant Manager Greg Merrigan said the project took more than seven years to develop and complete.
"There were a lot of different angles to accomplish," Merrigan said. "There was always interest in rural water services in that area. When we were looking at connecting just the rural areas there, it wasn't economically feasible to develop an expansion. When we were able to add four housing developments to the expansion plan, then it made it possible for us to go ahead with the project."
A new water treatment plant and water tower located in the Wynstone housing development near Jefferson, S.D., not only brought the rural water system to people experiencing problems with their private wells. It also eliminated high radium levels found in some water sources.
"There's a lot of groundwater in that area since it's right next to the Missouri River," Merrigan said. "However, there's a lot of minerals in the water too. That's hard on plumbing and bathroom fixtures. Some of the residents were spending around $80 a month to treat the water. Now they're getting high quality water at a lower cost."
With low water levels, residents were also finding they had to drill wells deeper. Even that wasn't solving their water problems.
"One family had already dug deeper two different times, but their well was still running dry," Merrigan said. "About two weeks before we were able to connect them to the rural water system, their well went dry again. They just got by without water in their home until we were able to provide them with service."
The project funds were provided through a $4.3 million EPA state Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan. The loan funds were established by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974. Each receiving state could nominate one DWSRF project for the award.
Part of the criteria for the award was the demonstration of leadership in the areas of financing innovation, innovative approach to planning and/or project implementation, creative use of partnerships, and promotion of sustainable infrastructure. EPA Region 8 Administrator Robert E. Roberts said the project represented the kind of creativity that promotes sustainability while safeguarding public health.
"This was a rare opportunity for us to work on this kind of project," Merrigan said. "The project was designed to accommodate a larger number of users in the future. The water plant and pipeline are both oversized. Our customer base before this project was about 1,000 users. We're currently serving about 2,000 residences."
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Dissapointed wrote on Jul 30, 2007 3:57 PM: