Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Only 15 of 700 Sign Up for Rural Water Project (cont)

be between 30 and 80 pounds per square inch of pressure. He said in the Pleasant Hill community, there will be a pump station installed to make sure there is plenty of water pressure for everyone on the system. He said the Arkansas Department of Health will review the plans before the first shovel is put in the ground on the project. If the ADH doesn't approve, the plans will be redone until the state's health agency does approve.

Talking about the size of meters to go to homes, the audience was told the standard size will be 3/4 inch. This is what the $180 covers for meter installation. However, they were also told if they wanted larger meters, they could pick up the difference in the price between the meter cost and the $180. A two-inch meter, Taylor said, costs more than $500.

Those gathered were also informed there is no planned sequence on how the system will be built. Marlar said the normal process is to hire the lowest bidder who qualifies, but the city and county could be done as separate projects, with more than one contractors hired.

Taylor, though, said he sees the project as going in all directions simultaneously, but not finishing at the same time. This, he said, is because of the differences in terrain and how wet weather affects some areas.

The residents were told the city has access to 1.7 million gallons of water per day, with the city using 700,000 gallons daily. It is projected the rural customers will use an additional 250,000 gallons a day once the system is in place. Therefore, there will be plenty of water available at all times.

They were told the benefits of having city water include having a plentiful supply, a safe supply of treated water, lower insurance rates and the potential for more growth in different areas of Nevada County.

As the meeting closed, Taylor reminded everyone this is a joint venture between the city and county and of the importance of getting as many people possible to sign up in the next three weeks, which would be Oct. 24. "We need the paperwork in place for funding by Jan. 1, 1996," he said. "Time is of the essence."