SIRWA reschedules bid procedure

A delay in plan approval by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has forced Southern Iowa Rural Water Association to reschedule its bid procedure for the construction of a water treatment plant and related infrastructure.

The approval to bid, originally scheduled for July 29, has been moved to 2 p.m., Aug. 14.

“DNR is pretty busy this year,” said SIRWA General Manager Dan McIntosh.

The project is expected to cost more than $50 million.

“Depending upon prices and when the engineers go through it, our board can approve things on Aug. 18.”

Southern Iowa Rural Water Association has scheduled a public hearing for 10 a.m, Aug. 18 at their office at 1391 190th St. west of Creston. The public is allowed to submit their opinions or objection to the proposed work. Other work includes water pipe improvements and a water tower. The water treatment plant will have a a capacity of 6 million gallons a day. New pipe will be a combined total of more than 9 miles. The water tower will hold at least 1 million gallons.

Depending upon timing of the approvals and contracts for contractors, at least dirt work could start in a matter of weeks.

“We hope to get the contractor for the dirt work and pour the footings this year,” McIntosh said. The goal is to have the plant operational by the end of 2023.

SIRWA purchases water from the city of Creston’s water treatment plant at Twelve Mile Lake. McIntosh said about 85% of SIRWA’s water is from Creston Water Works. Creston Water Works owns the water rights to Twelve Mile Lake while SIRWA owns the rights to Three Mile Lake.

The treatment plant was researched after SIRWA’s growth using Creston City Water Works facilities. Creston and SIRWA had contractual agreements SIRWA using Creston’s water treatment plant at 12 Mile Lake and paying a percent of how much water was used.

SIRWA had more customer growth than Creston’s. Both entities agreed SIRWA would pay for a percentage of maintenance of plant use but as SIRWA’s customers grew in numbers, so did its plant expenses.

SIRWA was paying about 75% of the plant operation, which created the idea to have its own water treatment plant. The SIRWA board decided last year to build its own plant.

During SIRWA’s annual meeting held in June in Creston, it was explained how SIRWA is working with Creston Water Works on a water purchase agreement until the water treatment plant is complete. Additional agreements are being discussed to share water sources and each entity supply each other finished water during emergencies or maintenance.