As a participant, the city is required to purchase 750,000 gpd (gallons per day) of water when the new county surface water treatment facility is up and running in 2011.
“I understand there are some concerns as to the amount (cost),” said Councilman Greg Gossett, who represents the city on the Coosa Valley Water Supply District board.
Gossett said he was also concerned about the cost, but the project needs to move forward.
“We get on line here, we’re pretty much through with drilling wells,” Gossett said. “This is a well deserved project for us to move forward with.”
Councilman Donnie Guinn said his biggest concern was how the city was going to pay for the new water source.
“I think this is something for the future,” he said.
Councilwoman Dot Wood said she was all for it, but…
“We’re putting the city in debt for 20 years,” Wood said.
The city would not have to make any payments until the surface water treatment facility is in operation.
“The good part about it, there’s no payment until three years,” Councilman James McGowan said.
Councilman Donnie Todd also said because of the merit of the project, the council should move forward with the agreement.
Springville and Odenville approved to sign their agreement with the Coosa Valley Water Supply District last week. Each city is required to purchase at least 750,000 gpd of water once the new surface water treatment facility in Ragland is constructed.
The St. Clair County Commission is expected to approve its agreement with the Coosa Valley Water Supply District this morning, replacing the city of Lincoln on the board and agreeing to also purchase 750,000 gpd of water from the Coosa Valley Water Supply District.
St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon said the county was already a member of the board, but now it is responsible for buying 750,000 gpd of water from the water supply district.
“We have 500,000 already sold,” Batemon said. “I think by the time the plant is in operation, we’ll have the 750,000 (gpd of water) sold.”
He said the county commission will rely on the Coosa Valley Water Supply District to sell its share of the water.
The Lincoln City Council is expected to officially withdraw from the multimillion dollar water project at its meeting tonight.
According to officials, Lincoln will not face any penalties for its early departure from the regional water supply district.
Bill Trussell, an attorney for the Coosa Valley Water Supply District, said last week Lincoln elected not to participate in the project because of an inability to reach a contractual agreement with Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, which is currently Lincoln’s largest water customer.
“There are some contract issues that couldn’t be resolved,” Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson said last week.
He said there is no ill-will between the parties.
“I think the parties recognized things didn’t go as planned,” Watson said Friday. “I think it is more feasible for St. Clair County to do it without us.”
It was going to cost the Coosa Valley Water Supply District $5 to $6 million to construct an underwater line between St. Clair and Talladega counties, across the Coosa River, so treated surface water could be transported to Lincoln from the new surface water treatment facility in Ragland.
“It’s no small undertaking,” Watson said. “We thought and still think it’s a great project, but it doesn’t fit financially right now for Lincoln.”
Batemon said there is still an opportunity for Lincoln to rejoin the Coosa Valley Water Supply District.
“I really wished Lincoln could have been a part of this,” Batemon said.
He said the new surface water treatment facility will give St. Clair County a reliable water supply for the future, and even though it’s a costly endeavor, it’s worth it.
“This is the biggest thing the county has ever done,” Batemon said.
When the plant begins its operation in 2011, it will initially treat 3 mgd (million gallons a day) of water withdrawn from the Coosa River. The plant is expected to increase its operations to 4.5 mgd after about three years and treat 6 mgd of surface water after the plant is in operation 4 to 6 years.
The surface water treatment facility is designed to pump as much as 12 mgd of treated surface water.
Coosa Valley Water Supply District water is expected to cost $2.45 per 1,000 gallons initially, but the cost of water is expected to drop as low as $1.75 per 1,000 gallons as the demand for water increases.
The project cost is estimated at $34 million.
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