AVOCA -- The Benton Washington Regional Public Water Authority is gearing up deliver more water to a growing Washington County base.
An engineering contract with Crist Engineers was approved Thursday for a 24-inch water line from Siloam Springs to Lincoln serving Lincoln, Prairie Grove and the Washington Water Authority, which handles water service to rural Washington County, and Westville, Okla.
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The Benton Washington Regional Public Water Authority Board approved a $1,225,000 contract with Crist Engineers for the engineering and construction oversight of a 24-inch water line from Siloam Springs to Lincoln that will supply water to utilities in the area.
• The board declined to waive a $277 late fee to Garfield utilities.
• The board approved a draft copy of the 2014 audit, pending confirmation of bank statements.
• The board suspended a construction contract with an August completion date for construction of an intake pump on Beaver Lake due to a 45-week lead time on the 1000-horsepower pump. The suspended contract will resume in September and work will be complete by Dec. 31.
Source: Staff Report
Board members debated the merits of two projects before deciding on running a new set of lines. There are lines from Siloam Springs to Lincoln, but they're 18 inches wide, said Matt Dunn, vice president of Crist Engineers. The new lines will more than double the amount of water the authority delivers to Washington County.
The project is probably three summers away from completion, Dunn said. Engineering will take a year. New easements will be gathered during the engineering phase. Construction will take more than a year to finish.
Scott Borman, general manager of the authority, told board members he was trying to plan two to three years in the future. Hot, dry summers increase water use, pressuring the authority's supply to water service companies.
"If we don't start now in two, three years we're going to have a headache down there," Borman said.
More people are setting up water service. Building is booming again, said Larry Oelrich, director of Prairie Grove Water Utilities.
"Everybody is ticking up on their meter counts," Borman said.
The project will cost an estimated $15 million to build. The board agreed to an $1,225,000 contract, or an estimated 11.6 percent of the total cost of the project, with Crist for design of the project and observation as it's built. The new line will travel to the same place, but will not follow the same path as the existing line, Borman said. That adds backup in case the line is damaged.
Centerton and Pea Ridge representatives voted against the project. There may be a strain on the system during peak water use, but it can handle it, said Ken Hayes, Pea Ridge water and sewer director.
"I think it needs to be done. I think it's just premature," he said.
The project will create a rate increase to water utilities.
Construction costs and interest rates will affect how much the rate change will be, Bob Wright of Crews & Associates told the board.
The rate increase, once decided, will be put in place starting January 2016, Borman said.
NW News on 02/27/2015