ANETA, N.D. — The nearly 60-year-old sewer and water systems of Aneta are on their way to modern standards after the signing of a project partnership agreement between the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District.
Aneta Mayor Todd Whitman said he pushed for the project following multiple breaks in the water system.
“I know it’s only going to get worse and worse,” he said. “We have to get something done.”
The project’s main steps include replacing 47 blocks of sanitary sewer, 44 blocks of water main, manholes, service lines, hydrants and valves, as well as repairing streets and sidewalks, a press release said.
According to project manager Michelle Prosser, the Corps and Aneta started working together when the city requested funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Environmental Infrastructure Section 594 program. The funding was awarded in fiscal year 2022, covering $4.9 million of the project’s estimated cost of $6.5 million. Whitman said the remaining cost will be covered by Aneta, probably through raised rates and taxes.
Bids are supposed to be out and bidded on around January 2024, with construction hopefully beginning in the spring, Whitman said. The project is estimated to take two years to complete.
“It’s well overdue,” Whitman said. “We’ve got to get doing something with it. We can’t wait any longer.”
This project is one of many St. Paul District is doing and has done through its environmental infrastructure programs, which operate with the goal to help rural communities with the building, designing and restoring of environmentally friendly water supply and wastewater treatment systems. According to the press release, the district has helped more than 56 communities by the end of 2022.
“This project aligns with our environmental infrastructure program mission goals to work with rural communities in North Dakota to improve their water-related environmental infrastructure, and ensure safe utilities for residents,” Michelle Prosser, the Corps’ project manager, said in a statement.
Source : Grand Forks Herald
