Town, county ready to pipe water to north Valley

By the end of January, customers of the East Valley water system will be drinking "sweet Minden water" piped out to Heybourne Road in a $2.5 million pipeline under an agreement between Douglas County and the town.

"I don't think anything done between the county and the town benefits more residents than this," said Commissioner Kelly Kite.

Commissioners and town officials approved an agreement between the two entities to provide water service.

Douglas County is under the gun to meet an Environmental Protection Agency arsenic rule by Jan. 26, 2009, that reduces the maximum contaminant level for arsenic.

Minden, holder of 10,000 acre feet of water rights, is obliged by state law to put excess water to beneficial use or face the possibility of losing those rights to other areas that can prove need.

"We believe this is the beginning of a very beneficial partnership. It benefits all the residents of Douglas County," Minden town board member Bob Hadfield told commissioners Thursday. "People came to this with a 'can do, how do we make this happen?' attitude."

Under an agreement worked out over the past few months, Minden will pay the $2.2 million construction of a 24-inch pipeline. The county will reimburse the town from a combination of sewer and connection fees. The wholesale water rate is 60 cents per thousand gallons delivered.

A connection fee of approximately $600 to $950 will be charged to recover the capital cost of the 24-inch line.

County staff is set to bring a fee schedule recommendation, but anticipated a $4-$8 per meter equivalent increase per month.

The town will own and maintain the 10,500-foot line beginning where Heybourne Road intersects Buckeye Road and ending at the county's 24-inch main at the southwest corner of the Minden-Tahoe Airport.

County Public Works Director Carl Ruschmeyer told commissioners there were three options to put the county in compliance with the arsenic rule, including on-site treatment, but the Minden water line was the most cost effective solution.

Town board members gave enthusiastic approval to the agreement Wednesday.

"I am very impressed with the amount of give and take," said town board member Dave Sheets. "It is a monumental task they undertook."

Town engineer Bruce Scott said the line would be in service by the January deadline, "so folks in East Valley will have some of that sweet Minden water."

"We are committed to getting this in the ground by January," Scott said.

He said the project was not complicated, and the expense was tied to the 24-inch size of the pipeline. He estimated construction would began by the end of summer.

Scott said permits were in place and would not be affected by ongoing litigation regarding protests of Carson River water transfers brought by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

MINDEN PIPELINE

n Cost: $2.2 million-$2.5 million

n Length: 10,500 feet

n Rate changes: Wholesale water rate is 60 cents per thousand gallons. A rate increase of $4 to $8 per meter equivalent per month is anticipated.

n Connection fee: Approximately $600 to $950 will be charged to recover the capital cost of the 24-inch pipeline.