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Bids for new pump station to be opened

SALEM

Bids will be opened at 11 a.m. Nov. 21 at the Salem Utilities Department for the Highland Avenue water tank pumping station project aimed at increasing water turnover in the tank.

The cost was estimated at $161,400 by Howells & Baird of Salem, the engineers on the project.

The tank was rehabilitated last year and the Salem Utilities Commission bought a 10th Street property abutting the tank property to better facilitate access to the tank and provide room for the pumping station to facilitate fresher water in the tank. Water will be pumped out of the Highland Avenue tank into the Roosevelt Avenue tanks so there’s more turnover, as required by the state.

The commission members received an update on the project during their meeting last week. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued the permit to install on Oct. 25.

In another matter related to water age, the commission agreed to contract with PMG Consulting of Delaware, Ohio to complete an optimization study of the water treatment plant at a cost of $18,500 for Phase I. Utilities Superintendent Don Weingart explained that the idea is to have the consulting firm run tests at the plant to determine if something more can be done to optimize treatment to lower the levels of organic compounds in the drinking water.

The levels have been reduced in recent years, but he said those levels are still running too close to the maximum allowed by the OEPA.

“We have a lot of storage in the system and that storage equals water age,” he said, adding, “If we can’t remove the organics at the water treatment plant to a lower level, then we’ll look at the distribution system to see if something there could be done, such as lowering the water level in the tanks.”

He also said another option would be the installation of an automatic flushing system.

Having to analyze the distribution system will trigger Phase II of the project, which the commission already preapproved for $13,000 with PMG.

In other business, the commission agreed to retain Howells & Baird engineers for $6,750 to complete a survey of the water and sewer lines in the area of the state Route 45 bypass and South Lincoln Avenue intersection to see if any conflict with the state’s plans to widen the intersection.

Weingart said the water lines won’t be affected, but if they have to move the sanitary sewer line, then Howells & Baird will need to do engineering and design to relocate the sewer line. The total cost then for both the survey and the plans would be $22,225.

The commission also approved paying $2,500 to property owner Steve Bailey for a non-exclusive easement to allow for an existing water line on the property and any future construction of water or sewer mains at the eastern end of Quaker Lane near the turnaround.

The next commission meeting will be 4 p.m. Dec. 21 in the second floor conference room of the utilities office building.

mgreier@salemnews.net

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