Chickasaw council stays with water plan

CHICKASAW - Council members on Wednesday agreed to stick with the planned 8-inch water pipe to run from the anticipated water tower and treatment plant to the village, despite a request for larger pipes to better supply fire hydrants.

Fire chief Mike Seitz at council's previous meeting had said the 8-inch line may not provide enough flow to fire hydrants to adequately extinguish fires. He asked members to consider increasing the line's size to 12 inches, which would have cost an additional $134,000.

Project manager Craig Knapke of Access Engineering on Wednesday said increasing the size of the pipe would cause other problems.

"There's the potential for stagnant water in the 12-inch pipe," he said. "That increases the risk of cancer and reproductive issues caused by the reaction of organic matter and water disinfectants like chlorine."

Councilor Randy Liette said he doesn't want to impair the quality of the water residents would drink on a daily basis.

"Chickasaw has quality water," he said. "I don't want to do anything to change that."

Council member and firefighter Shawn Birt countered Liette's comment, saying he doesn't want to put residents at risk by possibly limiting the water supply.

The existing water tower holds 35,000 gallons. With the new 100,000-gallon tower, other members told Birt firefighters would be able to use more water for a longer period to extinguish fires.

"We can't afford to build the perfect system," member Jeff Pohl said, agreeing with Liette. "We have to build with what we can afford and for its primary use, which is consumption."

Birt cast the only vote against the motion.
  Members did approve doubling the size of a 4-inch pipe from the water plant to the north edge of the nearby Wastewater Treatment Plant Drive for possible future development. The upgrade will cost $24,000 and will not delay the project, Knapke pointed out. Member Joe Schmackers voted against the measure saying the recommendation was based on speculation that the industrial park would expand in the future. He said he wants to wait for any expansion before making a change.
  Council members also agreed to install an additional 8-inch line from the tower to the village when funding becomes available and when the possible industrial park expansion occurs to serve as a backup in case the original line fails.

The $2.5 million project entails a roughly 2,200-square-foot water-treatment plant to be located near the industrial park. The tower will be light gray with Chickasaw written in black letters and will feature American and Ohio flags. Shinn Brothers workers are expected to begin installing water lines for the tower and water treatment plant project in two weeks. The foundation for the tower is expected to be poured in November, and the tower should be erected this winter.