By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
R9 Project Manager John Brown gave a design update on the R9 pipeline and wellfield during Thursday’s City Commission Meeting.
The proposed pipeline route would extend from the R9 Ranch wellfield, located south of Kinsley, and move north until it connects with the existing pipeline, which starts in the Schoenchen area.
Brown has worked to apply for a variety of funding sources, including BRIC Direct Technical Assistant, BRIC Grant, Kansas Water Office Technical Assistance, Build Kansas, EPA Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovations Act and KDHE State Revolving Fund.
The City’s Right-of-Way Consultant has been working to determine the just compensation values for the easements along the route and the City Attorney staff has been preparing transfer documents. However, before any formal offers are extended this spring, Brown would present those offers to the commission.
The pipeline design itself is about 60% complete. One of the biggest topics of discussion is the pipe material.
“Seventy miles of pipelines is the biggest line item we have,” Brown said. “We want to keep it competitive. We don’t want to narrow it down, shoebox it into one particular pipe material that has no competition.”
Right now, they are most seriously considering either PVC or HDPE pipeline. The pipeline will likely have a 24-inch diameter.
A quarter million-gallon above-ground storage tank, much like the Hays water tank seen north of Hays, would be placed on the pipeline route.
“A quarter million gallon tank would be smaller, but still of the same type of design and maybe just slightly taller than what we have up north of town,” Brown said.
Brown predicts they will enter into construction contracts in late 2025 or 2026.
Other items from the meeting included:
- An update on the Ellis County Historical Society
- Approval of a $48,087.90 bid from Evoqua Water Technologies for the replacement of water reclamation filter media
- Update on the R9 Walk-in Hunting Access (WIHA) Program
- Regulatory updates on R9
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