Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Project Pitched In Boughton

Area residents are being asked to sign up for the proposed rural water project to help keep the monthly bills down once the system is operational.

Monday, April 24, those living in the Boughton community were approached, with Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, telling them the importance of signing up early.

Grant money, he said, will be paying for the largest part of the $4.2 million project, but $1.5 million is in the form of loans, and these do have to be paid back.

The repayment of the loans, he said, is how the base water bill is projected, using the number of people who sign up.

The more customers on the system, he said, the lower the bill. If the projected 700 available customers sign up, Chadwell continued, the average monthly bill would be $26.99, based on 4,500 gallons used per month.

The fewer the customers, the higher the bill.

One of the most common questions was would the bill fluctuate? The answer was, yes, depending on how many are in the household and how much water they use during any given month. The base bill, Chadwell pointed out, is based on 4,500 gallons of water being used by a family of three each month.

This average was developed by the lending agency, in this case the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission.

Another frequent question is which area gets the water first? The project is roughly designed like a wheel with the contractor able to work on each region separately.

In an effort to be fair, where water goes first will be based on which area gets the largest percentage of its residents to sign up by the October 15, 2000, deadline.

At this point, Chadwell said, the project design is not carved in stone because the number of customers isn't known.

It is possible, he said, parts of it could be cut because too few signed up, with other areas added where more people signed up. But, the basic idea is to get water to the rural parts of the county surrounding Prescott needing it.

The monthly loan payment will be $8,740. This payment will be made by the City of Prescott from the payment of monthly water bills by the customers along the project lines. It will take 30 years to repay the loans.

However, the bills are for more than just water use and loan repayment. The Commission requires the city to maintain the system, so a depreciation reserve fee and fee for maintenance and operation are included in the monthly statement.

Any area removed from the plans, he said, will likely not be able to get city water for years, as it would be hard to get another grant.

Those signing up now, Chadwell said, are required to pay a one-time fee of $180. This includes the $110 for the connection, $20 for the service fee and a $50 meter deposit.

Customers in the moderate and non-moderate income brackets can pay this fee out, while those in the low income bracket will only be required to pay a $50 meter deposit.

All of these fees can be paid out, but must be fully paid by the Oct. 15 deadline.

For those who wait until after the deadline to decide they want city water, the costs will be considerably more expensive. Chadwell said connecting to the system then will include a year payment for the loan to be fair to those who have been making this payment all along.

In addition, they will have to pay all other connection and service fees.

At this time, plans are to have the project drawn up by November and the bids let before the end of this year.

Construction is set to begin in January 2001 and be completed by Jan. 2002.

Chadwell informed those present all wells must be disconnected from houses before the water system can be hooked up.

This, he said, is because the Arkansas Department of Health, when the wells were tested, found many to be unsafe for drinking. The ADH requires the wells be disconnected to alleviate any chance of well water being mixed with city water, which is treated before entering the system, and contaminating it.

However, wells can be used for other things around the property, such as watering animals or washing vehicles and equipment.

There will be some hydrants along the system, but, Chadwell said, these are primarily for flushing the system and not for fire protection.

This is because six inch mains will be used and this is too small for firefighters to hook hoses onto to fight fires.

But, he added, these hydrants can be used to fill the tanks of fire trucks and, therefore, could help reduce the cost of homeowner fire insurance.

The system, he said, will be designed so hydrants will be close to clusters of houses.

Plans also call for two water tanks and a pump station at the lower elevations.

Water pressure along the line, he said, will be 45 to 80 pounds, again depending on the elevation.

The entire system will be built using PVC plastic pipe to prevent rust and corrosion.

However, Chadwell said, work on the project could be delayed if people along the line refuse to donate easements across their property.

Along with speeding the process up, he said, it also helps keep costs down. This is because of court fees involved if landowners refuse easements and have to be taken to court.

The more who donate easements, he said, the more money will be saved. Any savings on the project, Chadwell added, will be taken from the loan and further reduce payments.

Billing for the rural water system will be done by the City of Prescott, but in a separate account from city customers.

Construction will include hooking up the meter, but getting water line from the meter to houses will be the homeowners responsibility.

They do not have to hire licensed plumbers to do this work, Chadwell said, but the city will check to make sure wells have been disconnected from houses before the system is hooked up.

Each year a review of customers will be done to see how many have service from the rural water system. The bills can be adjusted accordingly as people are added or removed.