|
|
|
SYSTEM BACKGROUND
In March 1974, a preliminary steering committee
began soliciting water use information and $25 good intention fees from rural
residents. Cliff Jacobson of Sioux
Valley Empire Electric Association and the Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake and Miner
County Extension Services agencies provided information and assistance.
By July 1974, DeWild Grant Reckert and Associates Company (DGR) was
retained to study the project area’s needs and prepare a preliminary report and
feasibility study.
The preliminary engineering report was completed
and accepted in December 1974. The
steering committee then forwarded the report to the Farmers Home Administration
(FmHA) for funding consideration.
With over 1,500 water user locations signed up and a preliminary cost estimate
of $8 million, FmHA felt the entire system could be completed sooner if financed
and constructed in phases, rather than waiting for sufficient funds to do the
entire system at once.
In February 1975, DGR presented a report that
divided the project into four construction phases.
Construction for Phase I and Phase II began in 1977.
Phases III and IV would later be combined with construction beginning in
1979. Kingbrook became a vast
network of pipeline, meters, ground storage reservoirs, filtration plants and
supply wells. Additional members
joined the system during the planning and construction stages with the total
number of connections near 2,200 when construction was completed in 1981. The
entire construction project totaled $12.4 million and was funded as follows:
$2,870,000
FMHA Grant
$300,000
State of SD Grant
$8,700,000
FmHA Loan
$530,000 Member
Contributions
The system originally served
an area about 2,000 square miles, from Montrose north to Hayti and from Bruce
west to Manchester.
GROWTH IN THE ‘90’s
With increasing demand from
our current users and interest from many rural South Dakotans needing a source
of safe drinking water free of nitrates and other harmful chemicals, Kingbrook’s
Board of Directors recognized a need to improve and expand the system.
¨ Subproject 1
In early 1990, capacity
improvements to the DeSmet Water Treatment Plant and the drilling of a new well
in the well field north of DeSmet were completed.
Other improvements included the construction of a booster station and
standpipe in the Ramona area.
Approximately 125 new users and 50 miles of distribution lines were also added
to the System.
¨ Subproject 2
Completed in 1991, this
project brought about the drilling of two new wells north of DeSmet and the
construction of storage tanks at the DeSmet Water Treatment Plant. Also included
in Subproject 2 was the installation of distribution pipelines to approximately
135 new services. A water tower north of Howard was erected to increase storage
capacity in that area and bring requested bulk water service to the City of
Howard.
¨ Subproject 3
Still trying to answer to the
increasing number of requests for water service, 1993 brought about the
installation of distribution pipelines for approximately 185 new users.
Improvements were also made at the Bruce Water Treatment Plant north of
Bruce. One new well was drilled
north of the Chester Water Treatment Plant and a water tower was constructed
north of Montrose. The City of Montrose became another bulk water user during
1993.
¨ Well Field/Treatment Plant
Improvement
In 1995, the south end of the
System had outgrown its treatment capacity and it became necessary to make
improvements and upgrades to the treatment filters at the Chester Water
Treatment Plant. In the north end of
the System, wells seven and eight were drilled in the DeSmet well field to
increase pumping capacity.
¨ Bulk Water Service to Area
Towns
In the ‘90’s the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) established more stringent water testing requirements that resulted in
increased operational costs for local municipalities.
Officials in area cities looked for ways to decrease the cost and enhance
the quality of the water to city residents.
Kingbrook offered a solution to these problems and several cities viewed
rural water service as the answer.
The Cities of Lake Preston, Arlington and Iroquois came on as bulk water users
in 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively.
¨
Bruce WTP Improvements & New
Member Additions
In 1997, over 6,000 sign-up brochures were mailed
out. As a result, over 150
applications for service were returned.
By the time the project was completed in 1999 over 170 services were
connected. Included in the project on an emergency basis was additional water
storage at the Bruce water treatment plant.
A 1.1 million-gallon storage tank was completed in the summer of 1998 to
meet potentially high water demands in the Bruce area.
GROWTH IN THE 21ST CENTURY
¨
City of Carthage Project
In order to meet water demands and water quality
standards in the future, city officials in Carthage opted to join Kingbrook and
have quality water delivered directly to the city.
In December 2000, meter installation was completed and residents of
Carthage began using Kingbrook water.
This was Kingbrook’s first venture at leasing a water distribution system
from a small town.
¨
Fedora/Osceola Area Project
In the Fall of 2002, construction was completed to
144 new users in the Fedora/Osceola area.
This project provided the best opportunity for water users in these
remote areas to receive the same quality water service that had been available
to their neighbors for 20 years.
Included in this project was the installation of an additional 52 system-wide
users. One of these was a large dairy operation whose owners came from Holland.
This marked the beginning of increased livestock demands and the need for
future improvements.
¨
Badger Reservoir Storage Project
The turn of the century brought dry conditions and increased water demands from
livestock operations and area lake developments.
In response to this demand, a 350,000-gallon storage tank was constructed
at the Badger Reservoir in 2003 as a coordinated solution to the supply problem.
¨
Well Field Land Acquisitions
Dry conditions also affected the south end our system.
Daily gallons pumped and treated from the Chester Water Treatment plant
reached all time highs in 2002 and 2003.
Existing wells were unable to meet the demands and, therefore, a combined
294 acres near the current well field were purchased from two area landowners.
In 2003, well 4 was drilled and put into production.
In 2005, wells 5 and 6 were drilled with remaining piping and electrical
work completed for production in 2006.
The purchase of this land will serve our water supply needs now and in
the years to come.
¨
2004 Pipeline & Distribution Improvements
To meet expected future demands and correct existing pressure and supply
deficiencies in the system, Kingbrook implemented its first phase in a proposed
long range plan by constructing 22 miles of pipeline, size 8-inch through
12-inch. The added pipeline improved
service reliability to existing users and added capacity for future connections,
including additional dairies and lake development.
Financing for this project was through the Dept. of Environment and
Natural Resources’ State Revolving (SRF).
¨
2005 New Member Additions Project
In the Spring of 2004, Kingbrook announced and advertised locally for new
signups. Response was greater than
the anticipated 100 to 125 new signups and the project grew to over 210 new
connections and approximately 185 miles of pipeline.
The continued lack of rainfall within our service area increased
livestock demands for fresh quality water bringing our total pasture tap
accounts to over
350. Additionally, this project gave
residents east and north of
Lake
Campbell and those east of the Big Sioux River an opportunity to have a reliable
quality water source. At completion
of the project in the fall of 2006, Kingbrook’s active consumers grew to over
4000 accounts. Again, funding for
this project was from DENR’s SRF loan program.
¨
2006 Water System Improvement
As a part of our long-range plan, funding through the SRF loan program was
approved and bids were let in October of 2006 to construct three new water
storage reservoirs. These improvements addressed an existing water supply
shortage in the west central area of the water system where general growth has
caused increased water demands. This need for more water became more prevalent
as large dairy farms and ethanol processing plants became a part of the South
Dakota landscape. This project
added storage to the existing Junius and Lake Preston reservoir sites as
well as added storage to the existing Chester Water Treatment Plant.
This project was completed in July 2007.
Phase two of this project included approximately twelve miles of new
12-inch pipeline that was constructed west from the Chester Water Treatment
Plant to just north of the Orland Reservoir and in an area southeast of the
Junius Reservoir. This
new pipeline provides added capacity at Junius and Orland to meet existing water
demands at those stations. This
project was completed in November 2008.
¨
2010-2011 System-Wide Expansion
In late 2008 Kingbrook began taking applications for new signups.
These new services will be a part of a proposed project to construct new
pipelines and other facilities to enhance the reliability of the existing water
system and to add capacity for existing and future water demands.
Approximately 22 miles of main pipeline is proposed along with an
additional 85 miles of rural distribution pipeline to provide water service to
approximately 100 new customers within the present service area.
Pumping station improvements will provide added capacity to utilize the
Bruce water source. A well will be
added to Bruce to assure reliable firm supply at that location. Projected
completion date for this project is 2011. |
|
Kingbrook Rural Water is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
Send mail to
kbrw@mediacombb.net with questions or comments about this web site.
|