Water bond slated
By JESSICA KELLER - ARGUS OBSERVER
Friday, June 1, 2007 12:26 PM PDT
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| The city of Fruitland relied on this temporary water treatment facility near the Payette River to solve its water problems last summer. This summer the city is pushing forward with plans to put forth a revenue bond to Fruitland voters in order to build a new water treatment facility. |
FRUITLAND - Fruitland officials are preparing to present a revenue bond to build a water treatment plant to solve the city’s water concerns and expand the city’s water service capacity.
While few details are available so far regarding the August bond measure, residents can expect more information in the near future, Fruitland City Administrator Rick Watkins said.
“That is the top priority, to get this water system in,” Watkins said.
While the dates have not been set, the city will host two open houses to inform the public on the issue in July.
The city needs a new water treatment system for a couple of reasons. One is to make way for a water main expansion and extra storage to keep up with growth the city is experiencing. Another reason is the city is under mandate from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to improve the water quality by reducing the levels of arsenic and nitrates in the water.
That means installing a new system that will address those problems, Watkins said.
While the city has decided what type of system to install, Watkins said, the treatment facility and system has not been designed yet. The city will not receive a design until the bond measure has passed, Watkins said.
Also the City Council has yet to decide what the rate structure will be to pay for the project. Council members will address that issue at their next council meeting June 11.
“But hopefully we’ll have a pretty good road map on that at those open houses,” Watkins said.
Fruitland residents can also expect more details about the project, why it is necessary and how the system will work at the open houses, Watkins said.
The city will also be able to show where the water main extensions and storage facilities will be, what the new facility will entail and what the existing facility is like.
Watkins said most of the information has already been gathered, but it is now being formatted to make it understandable to the public by breaking down the technical language.
