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Water Treatment Plant 'Well-Planned Project'

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 21:00 CDT

Aug. 10--Construction continues to be done at the Aberdeen water treatment plant and an expected completion date of Dec. 31 remains intact.

Work on the $15.999 million project is going as planned, according to plant superintendent Rick Wahlen.

"This has been a very well-planned project," Wahlen said.

After bad weather in the early spring had pushed the completion date back a few weeks, recent rains have not hurt the project, Wahlen said.

Construction at the plant includes two 6-million-gallon-a-day clarifiers that will add 2 million gallons to the maximum amount of water the plant can produce a day. Without construction, the plant could produce 10 million gallons.

A new generator station is also being built.

Six new wells were also dug but Wahlen said that they are experimenting on what their daily output should be.

Currently the plant can only generate about 8-million-gallons-per-day max because of construction, but Wahlen said that they've been turning out about 7 million gallons per day, at most 7.5 million gallons.

Water conservation efforts have helped keep the demand for water at attainable goals. High water tables due to rains have also helped the plant have enough water for Aberdonians.

Once work is completed, customers can expect a higher quality and better tasting water. However, if old pipes are delivering the water from the plant to the customer, the work at the plant can be all for not. Replacing water mains can't be done on a small scale.

"It's not just the occasional street. Aberdeen has 120 miles of pipe. We're only able to do what's in our own budget," Wahlen said.

Wahlen said that there has been a lot of curiosity about the plant and has been asked several times when they plan on having an open house. He said at some point one would probably be held but didn't know when.

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Copyright (c) 2005, American News, Aberdeen, S.D.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: American News (Aberdeen, S.D.)

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