April 24, 2024 |
Photo – Area of water break in Hanna – Bigfoot99 file photo
A water main break in Hanna was repaired for a fraction of the projected cost.
Last month, a broken 12-inch water main was discovered on the northwestern side of Hanna. On March 14th, the Hanna town council held a special meeting to declare a state of emergency. While residents were not in danger of losing access to water, Town Treasurer Ann Calvert said the emergency declaration is required for the town to disregard the state’s legally required bidding process.
During the March 14th meeting, Treasurer Calvert also said declaring a state of emergency allows the town to apply for a Mineral Royalty Grant, or MRG, through the state. Calvert told the town council that an MRG is the only source of funding the town can rely on to pay for the potentially costly project.
Hanna Public Works Director Larry Korkow said replacing the nearly 50-year-old pipe and casing could realistically cost anywhere between $750,000 and $1.5 million.
Turns out, the water main break was significantly cheaper to repair than anticipated. At the April 9th Hanna town council meeting, Councilman Sam Sikes confirmed that it cost $32,800 in total to fix the water line. Treasurer Calvert said the town spent $32,000 to dig up the pipe and $800 in parts to fix the leak.
The half century old water line runs beneath the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. If the town needed to replace the entire water main, Union Pacific would need to stop train traffic along the line, adding to the potential cost of replacing the pipe.
Mayor Jon Ostling said the town was very lucky.
