The City of Marion is continuing to make progress with its water supply.
During an update at the Marion City Council meeting Wednesday night, officials said they have had several different engineering companies working on different projects around the city.
According to a release, BFW Engineering has completed another round of sampling and testing at Lake George, and the city anticipates a proposal to cap or repair the city water pumping infrastructure which will be presented to the Division of Water within the next two weeks.
In addition, Bell Engineering has completed the design work for an interconnection linking the Caldwell County Water District and Crittenden-Livingston County Water District. This proposal would offer water from the south and lead to a more robust regional supply system.
Meanwhile, Strand Engineering has completed the preliminary design work for an interconnection line from Sturgis to the Crittenden-Livingston Water District. Officials said a list of materials has been submitted to the Finance Cabinet for consideration which could have this project break ground in a matter of weeks.
Officials indicated Kentucky Rural Water Association along with Reveal Underground Services have been continuing to detect leaks and conduct water line repairs around the city of Marion. With their combined efforts, officials say the city is now showing less than a 15% water loss due to leaks.
City officials have also decided to do further testing of Lucile Mine before making a final decision on exploring the water as a long-term option.
Due to 2.4 inches of rain reported at the watershed Tuesday morning, officials say the city has been able to initiate several steps that will benefit water customers. Those steps include: the Division of Water and the City are preparing to conduct a limited flush in an effort to move the city off of a boil advisory; and, hauling by both contractors to City Lake has been suspended as lake levels are sufficient to allow the Marion Water Plant to operate at this time. Officials said hauling operations will resume as needed.
City officials are asking everyone including businesses to continue taking steps to conserve water for essential purposes (drinking, hygiene, required business use). They also ask that any potential water leaks be reported to the city as soon as possible. If it’s after hours, you need to contact dispatch at 270-965-3500.
Bottled Water Distribution for city residents will continue for the foreseeable future with the schedule to be posted on the city’s Facebook page.
Also at the city council meeting, the council members approved surplus action on an older police cruiser to allow it to be offered to a community in Eastern Kentucky that lost their police vehicles to flooding earlier this week. The Marion City Council noted that many communities across the Commonwealth have provided Marion with assistance and this donation is the city’s way of joining the effort to help others.
