EXPANSION PROJECTS
System Capacity Upgrade
On Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 1:30 p.m.
bids were opened for the system capacity upgrade project. Bids
were received from 13 contractors with Tellinghuisen, Inc. of Willow
Lake, South Dakota coming in with the low bid of $1,399,797.00.
This project provides additional storage at the water treatment plant
and five reservoirs that deliver water to the eastern part of our
system. Storage capacity was increased at: the treatment plant by
400,000 gallons, reservoir B 200,000 gallons, reservoir C 200,000
gallons, reservoir D 100,000 gallons, reservoir E 200,000 gallons, and
reservoir H 100,000 gallons.
Construction began in the middle of June
and, despite fighting heavy rains throughout the summer, the project is
basically finished. There will be final clean-up work to be done
in the spring of 2010.
This $1.9 million project was funded
by an EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) of $894,000.00, and a
$636,000.00 grant and a $370,000.00 loan from USDA Rural Development.
Hecla Area Expansion (Phase One)
Phase One of the Hecla Area Expansion project was bid on May 6, 2008
at the BDM office. Northern Improvement of Fargo, North Dakota was awarded the construction
contract for this project with the low bid of
$2,310,637.40. The estimate of probable costs for the project is
$2,830,000.00. BDM received funding for this project from a
$575,000.00 loan from Rural Development, a $1,210,000.00 grant from
Rural Development, and a $600,000.00 grant from the State of South
Dakota through the Consolidated Water Facilities Construction Program.
Additional funding for the project came from BDM Rural Water System and
water user hookup fees.
On February 17, 2009 the town of Hecla officially became a BDM Rural
Water bulk customer. A short "valve-turning" ceremony was held
with officials from Rural Development, BDM and the Town of Hecla in
attendance.
Through this project, water service was also delivered to 41 other
hookups along the line from our treatment plant to Hecla.
Due to the wet ground conditions this past year, there are areas that
are still in need of clean-up and grass seeding. Please call the BDM
office and speak with David about any clean-up issues.
Internal Expansion
Throughout the past three years several contractors have been working
on different areas of our internal expansion. Over 90 new users
have been added to the system through this program. BDM will continue to
work with local contractors to hookup customers
that have signed up for our internal expansion project. If you are
signed up for the internal expansion, please feel free to call the
office to inquire about the construction schedule.
Hecla Area Expansion (Phase Two)
BDM Rural Water continues to plan for
the second phase of the Hecla Area Expansion but has not received an
adequate grant/loan package to fund this project. Earlier this
year we had anticipated receiving funding for this project from the
federal stimulus package. However, the only stimulus money that
was offered to BDM was in the form of a stimulus loan. Due to the
cost of this project and the number of proposed users, it will be
necessary to have a large grant along with any loan proceeds. We
continue to search for additional grant money through Rural Development
and alternate sources within the State.
Individuals with any questions regarding
the status of this project are encouraged to call the BDM office.
