City officials relate details on water project

By John Butters
Posted 3/7/23

Wellman’s aging water system needs both repair and replacement, city officials advised residents at a lightly attended public forum at the Parkside Recreation Center Monday.

Mayor Ryan …

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City officials relate details on water project

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Wellman’s aging water system needs both repair and replacement, city officials advised residents at a lightly attended public forum at the Parkside Recreation Center Monday.

Mayor Ryan Miller and City Administrator Kelly Litwiller led a slide show presentation detailing a planned $5.1 million upgrade to 13,500 ft. of the pipes that deliver the city’s drinking water. That amounts to 25 percent of the city’s lines.

The city’s 100 year old system is leaking water, significantly increasing its operational costs for both pumping water and treatment costs. In 2015, the city learned it was losing as much as 58% of the water it was sending from its plant. That implies the city was only billing residents for 42 per cent of the water it supplied.

Improved efficiencies, initiated in 2017, reduced the loss to 27% in 2022. But city officials say the goal for water loss should be roughly 10 per cent and the city can’t achieve that without a major overhaul of its water lines.

The city is also in need of a reliable back-up system. It’s  main well is 70 years old and its back-up produces water that is incompatible with its current treatment system. When the city shut down its main well for repairs several year ago, water from the back-up well fouled the treatment system resulting in more costly repairs.

Of the 5.1 million, water main replacement and upgrades are budgeted for $3.5 million and a backup water source for $1.5 million. Options include drilling a new well and connecting to the Wapello Rural Water Association. City officials said the cost of drilling a new well and hooking into the rural water system are about the same.

Contracting with the Wappello Rural Water Association has several advantages. It essentially guarantees a future supply of sufficient, quality drinking water. And since it is regulated by the Department of Agriculture, it functions as a nonprofit association. Any planned rate increases require a 5-year notice to its customers, providing clients with cost-stability.

Potential funding for the project could come from a combination of city-issued bonds, a local option sales tax, the State Revolving Fund, (SRF), and an increase in water rates.

Officials projected that household water rates would increase from $56.25 to $58.46, only $2.21 on 2,000 gallons monthly. On monthly usage of 5,000 gallons, the cost would increase from $78.87 to $83.33, a modest increase of $4.46.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) jointly administer the SRF. The DNR administers the environmental and permitting aspects to get projects ready for financing. This includes engineering and design approval, and construction permits. 

City officials said the planned project would serve Wellman well into the future and that continued improvements could be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The city has scheduled its first public hearing on a potential water rate increase for March 20.