Help coming to Hall Ridge

Carrie Kirschner/The Independent

Ashland September 21, 2008 11:59 pm

— Relief is on the way for residents of Hall Ridge who, because of low water pressure, have lived with a boil-water advisory since July.
Ashland officials approved an emergency order Thursday night that will expedite a project to increase water pressure to the Boyd County neighborhood. The order allows the city to purchase pumps for a new pump station to serve the neighborhood without having to bid the project.
City Manager Steve Corbitt said the state Division of Water approved the city’s plan to build the station and install two skid mounted pumps that will to boost pressure to approximately 180 homes. Corbitt said the emergency order will save time and allow the city to order the pumps immediately.
The cost of the pumps is estimated at $19,780. Any project above $20,000 must be put out for bids. The structure that will house the pumps will be built by city workers, who also will install the machines when they arrive.
Corbitt said the pumps are expected to be delivered within six weeks. According to the city’s agreed order with the DOW, they must be up and running within 90 days of delivery.
Residents have had some relief from the low pressure this summer but have remained under the boil advisory. Water distribution workers have been closely monitoring the line pressure and endeavoring to keep surrounding water towers full to increase flow to the neighborhood.
“It’s my understanding that they have been doing much better because we’ve had people on it all the time,” Corbitt said. “Sometimes during tank filling, their pressure goes down, but it’s been much better,” he said.
The pump station is a portion of a larger project the city had planned to increase pressure to thousands of homes, according to Corbitt.
“We have just cut this one section out and we are putting in a booster station just to handle this one section. The other major project is something we may do,” he said. “Its major function was to keep that tank full and increase pressure on the whole system.”
CARRIE KIRSCHNER can be reached at ckirschner@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.