Water improvement project on track
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ST. IGNATIUS — St. Ignatius has awarded construction rights on their water improvement project to PaveCo Contracting and Utilities out of Kalispell to the tune of $119,000.
St. Ignatius public works director Scott Morton said engineers from Great West Engineering in Helena are performing a standard compliance check to ensure PaveCo holds the proper business licenses, workman’s compensation, and liability insurance. Once complete, the Department of Natural Resources will check and confirm all data and then the project may begin. Work is scheduled to begin in about one month, but will only take two weeks to complete.
“This is good news,” Morton said, “the last time we tried to bid this, when the projects were combined, came in at more than double the engineer’s estimate.”
The two projects Morton referenced date back several years. The first, which is currently being pursued, is an update to the current well system. Presently, a diluted chlorine solution is mixed into the town’s water supply in the main line at the well’s source. Chlorine levels are tested daily to ensure safe water is sent into the town.
Upon completion, the new well system will mix chlorine solution with well water along a 160 ft. long, 24 in. wide contact-time piping system enclosed in new well houses. The town will build these new well houses in an effort to save money.
Phase two of the project involves a new well on the north side of town and replacing three sections of water line. This project is on hold until the first is complete.
Morton said this will increase the town’s fire protection capacity and water volume significantly as current wells continuously operate at capacity.
“Every morning both wells are pumping as hard as they can to keep up with demand,” Morton said.
City officials wish to convey that no irrigation will be allowed for the duration of construction, as workers must shut down one of the wells.
This will affect nearly 300 irrigators in the St. Ignatius area during the two week construction period.
