$6 million Monongah water upgrade

Monongah is planning a $6 million water improvement project.

Mayor Greg Vandetta said:

 “It’s a big project with two new tanks going in . . . work in Carolina, work in Idamay on those tanks, new water lines, a new service line from the plant to the new tanks on Tower Hill plus service lines in town.”

Thrasher engineer Randy Watson said it will take a year or more to complete.

 “Our goal right now is to get this out to bid,” Watson said. “Rights of way, which is mainly what we’ve been waiting on, have the potential to hold the project up.”

Watson said there are 106 rights of way to be signed and the town has 9. Monongah needs 80% to go to bid.

Monongah's first water rate increase in six or seven years is not tied to the upgrade.

MONONGAH — Monongah Town Council discussed the next steps for its water project at a council meeting. Mayor Greg Vandetta said the project is basically a $6 million upgrade. “It’s a big project with two new tanks going in ... work in Carolina, work in Idamay on those tanks, new water lines, a new service line from the plant to the new tanks on Tower Hill plus service lines in town,” he explained.

Thrasher engineer Randy Watson said once the project is underway, it will take a year or more to complete. They are still in the process of creating rights of way to distribute to property owners whom the project will affect. “Our goal right now is to get this out to bid,” Watson said. “Rights of way, which is mainly what we’ve been waiting on, have the potential to hold the project up.” Watson said there are 106 rights of way to be signed and they currently have nine. Of those, he said they only need 80 percent to go to bid. There is potential for the project plans to change, he said, based on getting the rights of ways signed. Vandetta said he is not concerned about the project or the rights of way as of yet. After Watson advised council how to obtain the rights of way, council discussed unpaid bills with the water plant. Vandetta assured that the town is making payments every month, and the amounts owed are decreasing. He indicated the unpaid bills are for the cost of operation such as chemicals, and resulted because there had not been a water rate increase in six or seven years. He said current water rate increases have nothing to do with the water project, but with the operating costs of the town. They will go into effect after the project is finished.

Vandetta said after the project is completed, the town will do a sewer upgrade process. He said smoke testing is the first step of that process. While smoke testing was completed in town, it was not done in the Stoney Lonesome area outside the town. Smoke testing is the process of discovering downspouts hooked into the sewer system, Vandetta explained. The property owners are responsible for removing those or face a fine.