In Kewanee, there are 13 miles of water mains that are 100 or more years old.
Another 13 miles of water mains were installed before 1940.
The city’s four water wells were dug in 1919, 1939, 1965 and 2004. The older ones are nearing the end of the useful lives.
A project to reduce chlorides from water discharged from the wastewater treatment plant could cost more than $1 million.
Those are just some of the reasons that the city will have to raise Kewaneeans’ water bills.
Scott DeSplinter, an engineer with the city’s consulting firm on water and sewer issues, told the City Council Tuesday that payments on bonds that would finance the water system improvements would require water bill increases for the 5,400 Kewaneeans who pay for water and sewer service.
DeSplinter said the engineers are proposing replacing 1,200 to 1,500 feet of old water mains per year. The engineers would consult with the city’s public-works department on which lines to replace.
There is also a plan to drill two shallow wells with low chloride content and use that water to dilute the discharge from the wastewater plant and lower the chloride concentration.
DeSplinter’s firm proposes two options for rate increases, one that would raise water rates by 39 percent over the next five years and one that would increase them 42 percent over the same period.
The good news, DeSplinter said, is that the state offers low-interest loans to pay for infrastructure improvements, and Kewanee could apply for such a loan. He added that the state sometimes even forgives some of the loan, so the city wouldn’t have to repay the full amount.
Kewanee would stand a good chance of getting one of the loans, DeSplinter said, due to the large proportion of lower-income residents in the city.
The council didn’t act on water rates, but council members seemed to favor a plan that would raise rates by a higher amount the first year, followed by lower increases over the following four years. That would enable the city to start making extensive repairs sooner, so residents could see where their money is going.
