Published: September 03, 2009 08:28 am      

Reno wins grant; uses stimulus funds on water system

Chelsea L. McGowan

cmcgowan@weatherforddemocrat.com

After eight months of surveying and information gathering, the City of Reno can celebrate its award of a $350,000 grant.

The funds, part of an ORCA grant package related to federal stimulus monies, will be used to modernize part of Reno’s sub-par water system.

“We’re going to redrill a well, which will add another well to the system,” said Scott Passmore, Reno’s director of public works. “We’ll also replace a line down Harris Road, and put hydrants in on that side of the city.”

Passmore explained the improvements to the water system will directly affect the pocketbooks of Reno residents. In fact, they already have.

“This will upgrade the system to the point that it’ll cost us less to produce water,” he said. “We’ve already lowered the rates to reflect that. Putting the hydrants on that side of town will lower the insurance for those residents by at least $500 a year.”

Qualifying for the grant was no small task, as Passmore said city staff have worked tirelessly to gather the necessary information over the last several months.

“We got 898 of the 935 surveys done, and it took us eight months,” he said. “I’d been looking for a grant like this online, and when I saw that one was available to us, it was just a matter of gathering the information.”

Although the upcoming projects will greatly increase the effectiveness of Reno’s water system, Passmore said more work is still necessary.

“There are still outdated and asbestos lines that need to be replaced,” he said. “We’ll go after other grants just as soon as we can.”