Jasper approvese $7.7 million for water treatment expansion

City Council, Community

jasper approves loan for water treatmentThe Jasper City Council approved an $7.725 for water treatment expansion. The money, a combination of a loan and grant is with the Department of Agriculture at Tuesday’s called meeting.

The loan for $4.748 million, and the grant for $2.977 million will fund the upgrades to the water plant. Interest on the loan will be 1.375-percent. The city’s monthly payment will be $12,868.

Chris Poje said the interest rate was incredible.

“I haven’t seen it that low in 30 years,” he said.

The city will have to borrow the money from an interim lender, such as a local bank. The USDA will reimburse the interim lender.

To learn more about the City of Jasper Water and Sanitation, visit here.

He said the money would pay for expanding water services in Jasper to meet current and future needs. Included among the plans are doubling the capacity to 1.6 million gallons from 800,000 gallons.

The structures were laid out conceptionally about 40 years ago, said Poje. Another part of the project will include moving the discharge water from a tributary of Pole Cat Creek to Long Swamp Creek. This will take care of a couple of issues, said Poje.

“Pole Cat Creek is a trout stream, and will eventually require permits and a certain temperature for water to be discharged into it,” he said. This would end up costing the city more money. Long Swamp Creek is not a trout stream, which would eliminate those future fees.

Because Long Swamp Creek is where water is currently drawn from, there are limits in place, by placing the discharge down stream of the collection, that will keep the creek levels consistent.

To read about Jasper’s recycling plant, read FYN’s story here.

“I know that’s not related to waste water, but it is related to drinking water. You are limited to how much you can take out from the creek,” said Poje.

Other projects include adding another aeration base and two more clarifiers, doubling the filters. There will also be $15,000 alloted for the purchase of land.

“We already had provisions in place for the filters and a pump station and second sludge holding tank,” said Poje. “That’s about as far as $8-million will take you these days.”

 

 

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