Project a few months behind because of change in plans
Within the next few years, five water wells should be in place to serve the Indiana Gateway Industrial Park and Cambridge City. In the meantime, there’s no shortage of water.
Cambridge City Town Council got an update on the town’s water system improvement project at its June 13 meeting. The project eventually will result in a second water tower and three new wells at the industrial park, according to Ken Risch, public works superintendent.
Work is several months behind because the project’s scope increased, said Adam Sitka of Wesseler Engineering, the firm designing and supervising it. The original design called for increasing the flow from the two existing wells. State regulations do not allow that so a new well must be drilled. The project has been delayed for testing of the proposed well site. Drilling should start around January 2023.
Ron Holbrook, plant manager at Sugar Creek Packing, located there, asked if the work would affect water supply to the plant, which processes meat. He said the businesses located in the park use between 500,000 to 600,000 gallons per day, with his company accounting for most of it.
Risch said, “You’re not going to run out of water.” The existing system can produce close to 1,000 gallons per minute in a line that goes directly from the treatment plant to Sugar Creek. The existing water tank holds another 450,000 gallons that backs up the direct line.
After this part of the project is done, two more phases are anticipated. They will include drilling two more new wells, constructing a new treatment plant and putting up a second water tank that will hold 1 million gallons. That should satisfy current and foreseeable needs, Risch said.
The council approved a $16,500 cost increase for the current phase because of the change in plans. The overall project’s cost estimate is $1.5 million.
>> More from the Cambridge City Town Council meeting in the June 22 print edition of Western Wayne News