Published Friday, October 11, 2002
from taps
system overhauled
Herald Staff Writer
The luxury of having quality drinking water and sufficient water pressure are important to most people. Residents of Jamestown are no different.
Mary Lou Steadman, owner of Steadman's Family Restaurant on Jamestown's main drag, said the business she and her husband Ralph run depends on having good water.
Now, thanks to the Jamestown Municipal Authority and the borough, borough residents will have just that.
The Jamestown Municipal Authority, along with several Jamestown officials and state lawmakers, launched operations for the borough's new water treatment plant Thursday with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Mrs. Steadman, who attended the ceremony, said of the new treatment plant: "I'm very much happy. It's a great thing."
Jamestown has never had a water tower, but between the old reservoir and the new tower, the borough now has two water-storage places, said Michelle Brooks, a municipal authority board member. The borough will use the water tower daily and the reservoir as a backup, she said.
The borough's old pipe system dated to the early 1900s and was losing 50,000 gallons of water a day. Engineers also found two major leaks while installing new lines, Mrs. Brooks said.
The borough had replaced some of the old lines in the 1960s. Several of the old pipes -- which were put on display at the ceremony -- were rusted and full of holes.
"They had a lot of leaks throughout the system. We went ahead and redid the entire thing," said Matt Klink, draftsman with Hickory Engineers, Hermitage.
The new lines are part of a $3.8 million overhaul of the system, which also included building a treatment plant, a pumping station, replacing nonworking fire hydrants, pouring new sidewalks and replacing storm sewers throughout town.
Hickory Engineers began designing the water plant two years ago, Klink said.
Work on the new system began Feb. 15 and was completed at the end of September. As of Thursday, 32 customers were hooked to the new system. Residents on Denver Street were being hooked up Thursday and residents of Main Street were to be tapped in today.
"Everything went smooth," Klink said. "We didn't have any bad problems."
Installation of the water service lines to customers will continue through November.
Mayor Esther McClimans said she's excited to see the old lines gone.
"We've had water loss, but all of this will be taken care of. We're going to have clean, free-flowing water with pressure. It's like a miracle," she said.
She said some people in the borough have wells, but many will probably be tapping into the new system as well.
Mrs. Brooks said more than half of the cost -- $2.1 million -- came from grants from PENNVEST, Community Development Block Grants and the state Department of Environmental Protection's Assure Safe Water program.
Council President Floyd "Bud" Owen said he's "ecstatic" with the treatment plant and said it's been a good project to work on.
"There's going to be a lot less problems than before. It should serve the town people well."
Residents may see about a $25 increase in water rates, down from previous expectations of about $40.
Resident Kenneth Collins said he doesn't care about the increase in water rates.
"It was needed. There's no doubt about that."