Treatment plant work going well
SANDPOINT — Construction is going strong on Sandpoint’s water treatment plant upgrade, a two-year project that will ensure ample water to accommodate city growth.
Located at the end of Sandpoint Avenue just north of City Beach, the Sandpoint water treatment plant prepares the city’s supply of healthy, fresh water for distribution locally and to outlying communities like Ponderay and Kootenai. However, city officials identified the plant as a key system to upgrade in preparation for the community’s expected growth.
“The existing plant can handle three million gallons of water,” assistant city engineer Matt Mulder said. “After the upgrades are finished, the plant will be able to handle 17 million with room for more improvements.”
The construction project started about two weeks ago once weather had improved sufficiently. Work will continue at a brisk pace until summer commences in earnest. At that point, the construction will postpone to avoid hurting seasonal recreation.
“We’re going to try to get off that levy before all the sailboaters start trying to park out there,” Mulder said.
Workers are currently focusing on demolition and replacing outdated infrastructure. Particularly important is the removal of the current 12 inch pipeline in favor of 30 inch pipe, a revision that will dramatically increase the system’s water capacity.
The city recognized the necessity of a water treatment plant upgrade to promote city growth several years prior. Two years ago, officials began seriously planning the revisions out.
“It took quite a while to come up with the specifics of the upgrades,” Mulder said.
Now that the planning phase is complete, the project will take about two years of on-and-off work before it’s completely finished.
According to Mulder, however, all the effort will be worthwhile.
“We’ll be treating the water to a higher standard to meet all current and future regulations, we’ll be making the water taste better and all those other good things that people like to hear,” he said.