Prep work continues at Duck River

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June 27, 2012

Prep work continues at Duck River

Contractors staging, groundbreaking set for July 16

By Trent Moore The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:10 AM CDT

If city officials needed any more proof that work on the Duck River dam is officially under way, it came early Tuesday afternoon at the utility board’s monthly meeting.

Board members typically approve a slate of smaller invoices, around a few thousands dollars for minor purchases and surveys, at the start of each meeting. With work under way on the new water source, that number has jumped significantly.

“Whew,” board member and city council president Garlan Gudger, Jr. exclaimed with a laugh, flipping through the paperwork.

A $434,000 bill from the project’s main contractor, Birmingham-based Brasfield and Gorrie, landed on the conference room table — the first part of an approximate $4.3 million bid for phase I of the dam’s construction, which includes all aspects of site work needed before construction can begin.

Board member Johnny Cook said the larger invoices will take some getting used to, but noted it’s all part of getting the project finished to provide a secondary water source for city and county residents.

“It’s all moving along really well,” Cook said.

The city, via the utilities board, is creating a 640-acre lake with a 32-million-gallon-per-day capacity in northeast Cullman County. The project is estimated to cost approximately $68 million, and once complete will work in conjunction with the area’s current sole water source Lake Catoma.

With phase I underway, the board is already looking ahead to the actual dam construction, and approved a task order to start design work for phase II.

Debt service will be covered by wholesale water prices beginning next year, and spending is in line with projections made before the project began. Projections expect the wholesale price of 1,000 gallons to climb from $1.77 in fiscal year 2012 to $2.36 in 2013. The price will remain around $2.36 throughout 2014, increase to $2.42 in 2015, then level off around $2.57 in 2016.

“We’re of course trying to keep prices as low as possible, and we don’t anticipate anything higher than our initial estimates,” city accountant Wes Moore said. “If it manages to stay under budget, it would help all the local water systems.”

Ever since site prep work began about a month ago, Steve Newton, with project engineer of record CH2M Hill, said additional water monitoring is now being done to ensure environmental regulations are followed.

“We’re taking water quality samples upstream and downstream of the project, to make sure best management practices are working out there,” he said.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the dam has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 16 at the dam site.

* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.

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Prep work continues at Duck River

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