Updated water plant closer to realization
By Matt Hopper
Plans are crystal clear and all that remains is finding the right guys to get the job done. Contractors toured Washburn’s water treatment facility July 23 and 24 to get a better handle on the job ahead and to decide whether or not they will place their bids. A flow of funds is ready and waiting to be pumped into the million-dollar project. Renovations have been a long time coming since the master plans for the water treatment facility were drawn up nearly ten years ago. City Commissioners approved to follow the guidelines required to receive an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Loan for Washburn on July 13. The guidelines must be followed by the city in order to receive $4,668,000 in loans from the Industrial Commission. Four million dollars will go towards updating technology and renovating inside the city’s water plant. ARRA funding will further the success of the North Dakota Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving fund. Guidelines for receiving funds included federal wages, a certain percentage of green energy output by the water plant and that all products used to update the building be American-made materials.
