Water Information Update

CITY OF LOUISVILLE

Well Status Update, October 15, 2000

NHHS responded within 48 hours of the temporary site application. October 10 Sargeant Irrigation roceeded to dig a test well, 53' deep 20' west of the existing well #1. The formation appeared good. JEO will now provide this information to NHHS and begin design. Once the design is approved by NHHS, the city will publish 1 time a week for 3 weeks, receive bids, open bids, approve bids, and award contract.

Once the well is constructed VOC, SOC, and other quality tests must be taken, the first two test as 60 day tests before results are known.

Everyone agrees this appears to be a long process but it is required for health safety reasons. This adds up to about 4-6 months before the well will be producing; JEO anticipated the well to be operational by March. JEO and NHHS is aware the city has many concerns of being prepared for spring knowing there will be an increase in use to preserve damaged lawns etc.

It was noted by the board on October 11 the temporary well would cost $9,000 - $12,000 dollars, this is incorrect, the total cost will be in the range of $80,000. Your user rates have no built in calculation for debt repayment.

Water user rates were tabled until December Again, this is a temporary well only, the system will be connected into the existing well #1 supply lines to reduce cost for the short term, an additional building must be constructed and heated.

The city must provide a long-term solution to NHHS and the intent as required, is to have demonstrated the permanent solution and the time frame to meet those demands within 2 years.

The city has a lot of work ahead of them. It is very difficult to work through the regulations and meet deadlines.

An example was the sewer plant that the city was required to construct under an ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER [regulatory law] dated 1994, it took two years to just deal with about 12 different regulatory agencies with different requirements; they do not collaborate and jel.

In addition to the temporary well, the state is requiring the city excavate the two septic and laterals at the two farthest west homes on N Depot and place two monitoring wells to the south of N Depot across from the well. These monitoring wells are for monitoring infiltration of the well field in relation to the fuel spills which are monitored on the south side of the tracks by BN.

That fuel spill was not BN's so do not jump to any conclusion of where that existed from. The septic removal is for reduction in coliform contamination leakage into the water source. Because the sanitary sewer line is relatively flat from Main St west on N Depot, a grinder pump must be installed. These costs are anticipated in the estimated $80,000 range.

Please remember estimates are just that estimates based on what has been observed from other projects. Known cost will be the actual bids and then if there are unknowns discovered during construction change orders are requested by the contractors; therefore, increasing the project cost.

No grants are available for this temporary fix.

A planning grant application is being put together to help defray the cost of engineering for the long term solution. The maximum planning grant is $25,000. There is a 25% matching requirement for the city; therefore, if the engineer cost is $31,250, the city cost is $6,250 and grant $25,000 [what ever is in excess of that is city cost]. Some help is better than none particularly when there are no strings attached.

The city appreciates the communities conservation efforts.

Questions may be directed to Eric Obert at mailto:eobert@jeo.com