Chaffee to upgrade water-system, build treatment facility with $6.1 million loan

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The city of Chaffee will be improving its aging water-system infrastructure through a low-interest loan funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development.

The loan, worth $6.1 million dollars, was issued to the city in August 2011 by Rural Development and will be used for a project to replace all existing water mains in the Chaffee water district and to build an up-to-date water treatment facility.

Lee Horton, Chaffee city administrator, said the project couldn't have come at a better time.

"The water lines we now have in the system haven't been replaced in over 30 years," Horton said. "As a result, we're seeing a build-up of iron and manganese. As for the water-treatment plant, it's not modern by any means. It was built in 1978, and the filtering system it houses is around 30-years-old. The tanks for the filtering system are rusty on the outside. It's time for something more efficient."

The project was authorized by Chaffee voters in 2010, and in the meantime the city has been reviewing plans for construction and has also gotten about 80 temporary easements from property owners affected by the project.

"We had to do that because water meters are also going to be replaced," Horton said. "New ones will be installed and positioned in front of the houses, and doing that involves access to private property. It's been a lengthy process, but getting the easements has been our way of keeping our legal ducks in a row."

Horton indicated that plans for the project are near to being finalized.

"The next phase will be to hire a contractor to do the construction work," he added. "We're hoping that by spring we'll have a groundbreaking to get the project underway."

Tim Southards, of Schultz Surveying and Engineering in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and chief engineer of the project, said he is wrapping up construction plans but they must first meet the approval of government agencies.

"Our plans must be approved by Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources," Southards said. "So far there hasn't been any red flags from anyone. Rural Development has already been examining our plans and has given them preliminary approval, and I'm hopeful they and DNR will give their final approval to the plans in December."

Phyllis Minner, area specialist in Stoddard County's USDA service center, shared Southards' optimism for December approval.

"That sounds about right to me," Minner said. "You can never say for sure, but I think getting approval for the plans by then is possible."

Minner also was instrumental in advising Chaffee about Rural Development's loan process.

"We first heard of Chaffee's application for the loan in January 2011," she said. "The loan process lasted until the city received the funds in August of that year."

Once started, the project is estimated to be completed within 18 months.

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

Chaffee, Mo.