Water system upgrades in Jackson move into Phase 2 of $11.5M project

Work to upgrade Jackson's water lines and mains continues in 2019, as the city moves into Phase 2 of a three-phase, $11.5 million plan to strengthen and improve the city's water system, city officials said.

City engineer Clint Brown said Phase 1 is wrapping up. That $4 million set of projects included upgrading water mains, especially in the city's uptown district, to help improve flow levels.

Brown said the emphasis on Phase 2 will be continued replacement of undersized water mains, and replacing aging cast-iron pipes with PVC.

"In a lot of areas, especially Old Cape Road, we have cast-iron pipes, and that can cause a lot of issues," Brown said, noting aging cast-iron pipes can split and rust, and many of those pipes in Jackson are 60 years old or older.

A Jan. 5 water main break at Old Cape Road and Otto Drive meant interruption to water service and a precautionary boil-water advisory, according to previous reporting.

Water lines are under pressure, not just from within, Brown added. For example, if a pipe runs under a roadway, the weight of traffic can affect the pipes.

PVC pipes can better withstand some of those factors, Brown said.

Brown said areas slated for Phase 2 include Jackson Trail, East Jefferson and Tower Grove, Grandview Drive and Old Cape Road.

One project on Old Cape Road will include ripping up pavement near the unused train tracks, so the city will be removing those tracks as part of that project, too, Brown said, noting "it doesn't make sense to rip out and replace pavement twice."

Some of the water mains being replaced in this phase are 8 inches wide, and 10-inch mains are going in instead, Brown said.

"Two inches doesn't seem like much, but it makes a huge difference in the flow rate," Brown said.

Several of the projects are already designed, Brown said, so once funding is in place, work can begin pretty quickly.

But scheduling will be important during this phase of work, Brown said.

At center junction, exit 99 on Interstate 55, the Missouri Department of Transportation is planning a major project: installing a diverging diamond interchange, or DDI, at the existing interchange.

According to MoDOT's website, construction on the DDI is anticipated to begin this summer.

Brown said many commuters from Jackson to Cape Girardeau drive through center junction every day, and other routes need to be open to avoid excessive congestion on Highway 25 and on East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue.

So, he said, he anticipates working with MoDOT to minimize traffic concerns.

Projects set for later in this phase will include improvements to the city's wells, Brown said.

"All of the city's water is from an underground source: wells," Brown said.

That's why the city doesn't have a drinking water treatment plant, he said.

The wastewater treatment plant on Lee Avenue in Jackson handles wastewater, Brown said, but Jackson's drinking water treatment system is different -- and less expensive -- from that of cities reliant on water from other sources, such as bodies of water.

The city adds the required minerals, such as fluoride and chlorine, Brown said, and the system uses gravity and pumps to move water.

Emergency generators will be added to the well pumps, Brown said, as they need electricity to function.

Along with those generators, equipment to run them will be installed, he said.

"We do maintenance work ourselves, but these projects need to be handled out of house," Brown said.

Approved by voters in August 2015, the $11.5 million bond issue was the first water-improvement bond issue to pass since 1997 and will include the construction of a new well, new water tower, improved pump equipment and upgraded piping around the city, according to previous reporting.

Assistant city administrator Larry Koenig said at the Jan. 7 Board of Aldermen meeting he and city administrator Jim Roach had initiated the process to secure funds for the $4 million, set to be issued in February.

"The first phase (of work) went pretty well," Roach said at the meeting. "The next suite of projects is ready to roll."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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