By: Keith Norman, The Jamestown Sun
The low water levels of the James River and Jamestown Reservoir are making a water line project affordable for Stutsman Rural Water District. The dry summer has produced an opportunity for Stutsman Rural Water District to bolster its infrastructure, according to Geneva Kaiser, manager of the district.
Kaiser said low water levels in the northern portion of Jamestown Reservoir will allow the district to add a redundant waterline to the system without the costs of boring under the reservoir.
"We will be able to plow in the waterline rather than bore under the lake which is very expensive," she said. "We've wanted to add a redundant line there for a long time but it has always been too expensive."
The project has an estimated cost of about $90,000 if it can be installed when it is dry, Kaiser said. Cost estimates for the project if there had been water in the lake were a minimum of $200,000.
Plans call for the installation of an 8-inch waterline next to an existing 5-inch line. The project involves about 1,800 feet of pipe and trench. When completed, the project will add redundancy to the water system serving the northern part of Stutsman County and could improve the water supply and pressure in that area.
An easement for the river crossing was approved by the Stutsman County Commission Tuesday. The commission did request the water district provide a better description of where the pipe will cross the lake bed for the document.
The level of the Jamestown Reservoir is currently 1,426.9 feet above sea level or about 28 feet below what is considered the flood control level of 1,454 feet above sea level.
The project won't start for an estimated six weeks pending the arrival of pipe that has already been ordered by the rural water district for the project.