Water tank project nearing completion

By Sun Advocate

A major move toward maintaining the Price River Water Improvement District culinary system has been underway the last several months. Now that work is almost complete.
“The large water tank on Four Mile Hill is ready to go back into operation,” said PRWID district manager Phil Palmer at the entity’s board meeting on Tuesday. “After a little work and some testing it will be up and running probably by next week.”
The Four Mile Hill tank and the facility that stores water above Kenilworth for that town have been under work for corrosion control for many weeks, putting the supplies of water available in both areas served by the tanks short of normal. But that’s one of the reasons this type of work is done in the early spring, when water demand is at a point where the reserves are not quite so important.
The Kenilworth tank presented some unique problems for the district. While the Four Mile Hill tank shut down could be handled by bringing water from other storage facilities in the county, the Kenilworth tank is the only one that supplies that community, and some large temporary plastic storage tanks needed to be brought in. The water for Kenilworth must be pumped up to the facility and stored for the residents there to have a supply and proper pressure.
“After they were done painting the tank (in Kenilworth), we had an odor problem in the vessel, but we solved that situation,” stated Palmer. “We also found that there are a few touch up points that need to be done in the tank and we have asked the contractor to come back and correct those so we can begin testing it to put it into service.”
As for the Four Mile Hill facility, Palmer told the board that there is still a film from the sandblasting process in the tank but that they have decided the tank could be filled to about six feet and then flushed out to eliminate that problem.
“Then we will begin the disinfecting process and it will be ready to go,” he explained.
As with all types of facilities, water systems, including storage tanks, deteriorate. Rust and corrosion are a big problem, more so with water that has been chlorinated for drinking purposes. Projects like the ones nearly completed need to take place periodically, but the type of paint and quality of the work an determine the length of time between renovations.
“This contractor has done a very good job for us – quality work,” stated Palmer.
The original contract for the work was for $168,800, but Palmer explained to the board with a couple of small change orders the price had grown to $170,728.
Palmer reminded the board, however, that one of the change orders that was submitted actually lowered the contracted amount of money, while the other raised it.
The board members also debated the worth of assessing the contractor a $650 dollar per day penalty for the 12 days the company ran over the anticipated completion date.
However, Palmer explained that he felt the time the work exceeded the deadline was justified for the most part. The PRWID manager also pointed out that the extra cost the engineer would charge the water improvement district to review such a move would probably end up being more than what the agency could realize from the action anyway.
“The extra 12 days of having the engineering firm on board has already increased the cost by $3400 and I don’t think any kind of assessment against the contractor would serve anyone’s purposes,” stated the administrator.
The board voted to approve a final payment of $71,375.35, minus 5 percent. The 5 percent will be held until the details in the Kenilworth tank are completed by the contractor.
Jeff Richens, assistant PRWID manager, presented an update to the board on the Carbonville-east Wellington water projects and the sewer extension project wrapping up from last year.
While the matters were separate agenda items, they tied together primarily because, in Carbonville, many of the roads that were torn up last year for the sewer project also had to be dug up for the water project.
Therefore, at least some of the oil work that had to be done for repair of the roads is waiting until the water line is completely in.
“We have had a lot of calls about the roads in the 1000 to 1300 North area,” explained Richens. “We know those have been torn up for a long time, but we can’t begin to pave them until the water line is completed and tested. Otherwise if we have a leak, we might have to go in and dig up new pavement all over again.”
PRWID board member Tom Matthews suggested that the district look at putting additional gravel in some of the low places, especially in the Mountain States Road area. He was also concerned about compaction problems.
“Do various entities, such as Price city, require a different kind of compaction than we do?” asked Matthews.
Palmer explained that compaction rates are based on the specifications and the individual projects.
Betty Wheeler said she had gone with the engineer to the Carbonville area last week.
“I was impressed with the work I saw and I learned a lot,” said Wheeler. “It’s just kind of the way it is when construction is going on.”
Richens indicated the district would mend the roads as soon as possible. Paving has been completed on Soldier Creek Road .
Palmer advised the board that PRWID is talking to sewer line contractor Claw Construction about securing the right to work directly with repavement subcontractor Nielson Construction.
“If we can do that, it will make it easier to get things done because we can do it all locally,” said Palmer.
Richens also told the board that the water line contractor had found another pipeline in Carbonville that needed to be replaced, because it was not up to the standards that the district thought it was.
“We are replacing 3000 extra feet of water line on Prazen Lane,” explained Richens. “We found out that the pipe supplying the water was transite pipe.”
Transite pipe is made up of paper, asbestos and other materials. If hit by anything, the paper pipe breaks. As the line was being dug up on the road, crews discovered that a tree had wrapped its roots around the pipe. The pipe came apart when it was pulled out of the ground.
“That line replacement is going to increase the cost of the project by $41,340 or $13.78 per linear foot,” said Palmer. “It will also extend the dater of the contracts finish to July 1 from the original mid-June date.”
Matthews asked whether any of the existing Carbonville water line was usable. Richens indicated that only a fairly recent section of pipe in a small industrial area part did need replacement.
“And that’s only about 300 to 400 feet of line,” said Richens.