By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
The existing Nephi City culinary water system does not meet all the current requirements and standards set forth in the Utah Division of Drinking Water Rules for Public Drinking Water Systems.
It is expected that all the expense for the project will come to approximately $19 million.
"In the year 2015," said Randy McKnight, city administrator, "we finished the city culinary water master plan."
As that plan was reviewed, he said, there were a lot of questions about how the city could meet the outdoor water needs of the community in the future. The majority of homes in Nephi are not connected to the irrigation secondary water system.
"Water rates will have to go up," said McKnight. "We will need to change the rates."
When loan and grant money was sought, the lending agencies, in this case the Rural Water Agency, wanted to make certain that the water utility could pay its own way.
"They are not anxious to lend or grant money to a city unless they can see that the local utility can carry its own end of the finances," he said.
Larry Ostler, council member, asked what areas were being considered for the new storage tanks.
McKnight said that one would likely be on the far south end of the community.
"When do you anticipate that we will need to look at changes in the rates?" asked Nathan Memmott, council member.
Now was a good time to consider the change, McKnight said.
McKnight had prepared a summary of the culinary water project study which he shared with the council.
In that summary, he outlined the city culinary water project needs.
"The culinary water source capacity and storage capacity are currently inadequate to meet system demands," said McKnight. "In addition, many distribution pipelines are undersized."
As a result, he said, a large percentage of the system cannot meet even the 1,000 gpm (gallons per minute) minimum fire flow required by the state and the system is far short of the fire department's requested fire flows of 1,500 gpm for residential areas and 3,000 gpm for industrial areas.
A large number of existing fire hydrants are undersized and many fire hydrants in the system are over 70 years old.
"The system needs additional valves," he said. "Relatively large areas of our system are routinely required to be isolated to repair leaks or conduct maintenance."
There are over 45-miles of line in the streets, he said.
With the exception of components installed in recent subdivisions and the blue tank, which is 44 years old, the entire system is over 50 years old.
"Nephi City has an immediate need for additional source capacity, storage capacity, distribution system piping upgrades, additional distribution system valves, fire hydrant upgrades and upgrades to the disinfection system to bring the system into compliance with all the rules for public drinking water systems," he said.
The Nephi Culinary Water Improvements Project--2017, is a major culinary water improvements project, which will bring the culinary system into more complete compliance with the rules and allow the system to meet culinary water system standards required now and the system needs that are projected for the next 20 years.
The project includes rehabilitation/reconstruction and upgrade of existing system wells, to provide an additional 3,400 gpm of culinary water source capacity to Nephi City.
"An additional culinary well may be purchased or constructed if required to meet the projected required source capacity," McKnight said.
Also included in the project is the construction of two additional culinary water storage tanks, which will add an additional 3 million gallons of storage capacity to meet the projected required culinary water storage capacity required for the next 20 years.
"The storage improvements will include a small booster pump system to fill and circulate water in one remote tank," he said.
Approximately 155,000 feet of 16-inch, 12-inch, 10-inch, 8-inch and 6-inch AWWA C900 PVC pipe and fittings to replace undersized main pipelines throughout the Nephi City culinary water system.
"Small diameter cast iron lead joint pipelines will also be replaced where possible," said McKnight.
The project will include new meters for all wells and springs and chlorination system upgrades will be made to ensure that the culinary water system meets disinfection requirements.
The project calls for approximately 220 new system mainline valves of various sizes and types, approximately 140 new fire hydrants and a system wide SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system to monitor and control various culinary system components.
Not included in the description of the work was that the output of Upper and Lower Bradley springs would be combined into the existing Upper Bradley spring transmission pipeline, which is deteriorated.
Soon to be noticed is the potential Rural Development loan/grant application. An ad can be found in the Times-News expressing the intent to apply.
A description of the projects can be reviewed at city hall, McKnight said.
The Rural Development Agency requires a preliminary engineering report. They also required an environmental review, said McKnight.
"Assuming the city gets the money, what time will it take?" asked Donald Ball, resident.
Mark Jones, mayor, said that after the engineering is completed, the city will be able to bid out the project. However, the project could take at least two and a half years.
Sunrise Engineering in May of this year wrote a letter to Sindy Smith, RDCC Coordinator for Utah Resource Development Coordinating Committee Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, stating that the project would not involve any federal lands. All project components would be located on lands in private holdings, Nephi City lands, or ROW of the Utah Department of Transportation.
