Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Continued growth in the city of Forest Lake will result in water system improvements by the fall of 2006.

Forest Lake City Council at its meeting Monday, April 11 agreed to move forward with a major system improvement costing $3.7 million.

City Administrator Chip Robinson said the plan calls for the construction of a 500,000 gallon above ground water tank west of I-35 near Menards and the addition of a 500,000 gallon underground water storage tank at Plant One next to city hall.

Plant One is a water treatment and softening facility located at city well No. 5 and contains a 400,000 gallon underground tank.

The tank west of I-35 is projected to cost about $1 million while the work at Plant One will likely tally $2.7 million, the administrator said.

Robinson said the goal of the two-pronged system improvement is to provide more water storage capacity citywide and provide system balance with improvements west of I-35.

The system improvement is being designed by TKDA, Inc., the cityís consulting engineers for the water system.

ìOur growth has a lot to do with the need to expand the existing underground tank and provide the water storage capacity west of the freeway,î Robinson said.

Robinson said the goal is to have the system improvements completed by fall of 2006.

Final plans for bidding and construction are forming, he said.

The city is still exploring a site for the water tower but hopes to secure a small piece of land to the north and west of Menards, Robinson said.

To pay for the project, Robinson said the city will use $1.5 million from its water reserve fund.

Plans call for the city to bond the remaining $2.2 million of estimated cost.

The city will utilize a utility revenue bond to finance the balance with bond payments supported by profits generated from the water utility fund which comes from all homes and properties connected to the utility system.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605