July 18, 2008 Update

Lane and Western have completed the inspection of our City wells, and they are in excellent working order.  The annual cost of close to $5,000 for the preventive maintenance inspection is better than the alternative.  When I became Commissioner, well #4 failed after 12 years of continuous service without maintenance service, when the impeller bowl disintegrated and the drive shaft broke.  It cost $60,000 to repair the well and we were fortunate that the broken parts could be extracted.  If we had lost the well, it could cost up to one million dollars.

Jeff Burkholder did not work out as an employee with EMC and has been discharged.  John Wartenbe, Matt Schnorr and Matt Hinkle are now operating the Oregon Water and Wastewater Plant, and new part time summer help will start soon.    The department continues to install auto-read water meters.  I miss stated our progress with water meter installations at the last meeting, and by the end of this years installations; one third of the City meters will have been replaced.  The City is waiting for delivery of a special order meter for the High School, which will replace the decades old and inaccurate meter.

The photographs represent a joint effort between the street department and the water department to replace a storm sewer basin.  A broken water main at 6th and Adams conflicted with the storm sewer basin and everything had to be removed in the dead of winter.  The catch basin was reinstalled with Mike Bowers and the street crew’s ability and the Water department’s pocket book.

7/2/08 a meeting was held with CMT a City engineering firm.  They continue to compile information on combined sewer outflows during rain events and a plan to fix the Oregon problem will be submitted in January.  CMT is in contact with the IEPA with regard to our plan.  CMT is looking into all of the hydraulics of our wastewater plant and the maximum plant flow.  Some discrepancies have been found in previous plans due to plant modifications.

The IEPA has delayed all loan requests because of short staffing and our plan will not be approved before the summer of 09.  Cities in our area who have had their IEPA loans put on hold are:  Ottawa, Princeton, LaSalle and Charleston and some of these improvements are for violations.   Mike Burris of CMT has suggested we look at the IFA (was Rural Bank Bond) and they are now loaning money at rates similar to the EPA with less paperwork and regulations.  Rates are now at about 2.8%.  Mike will be forwarding bond pre-applications to be submitted, and Charlene will provide the needed information.  Some Cities are being denied these loans because of political affiliations.

The City also met with CMT and Etnyre and preliminary plans were formulated for a pressurized wastewater connection to the City sewer. 

I have been informed that an unoccupied home at 510 E. Washington Street had by-passed and removed the water meter.  The temporary connection froze and broke probably five months ago and the basement had three foot of water in it.  Estimate of water loss would be the one and a half million-gallon range.  I am recommending that the owner be fined the maximum of $500.

The experiment to use a valve on Iron Mike, our City water fountain was a failure.  The water in the horse trough was brackish and the dog bowl was empty. The fountain has been cleaned, painted and is now running constantly as it is designed to operate.    The City will shut the fountain off completely in the winter months.