Commission approves easement and $32,546.40 raw-waterline reroute project

The Harrington City Commission approved an easement agreement and authorized a $32,546.40 raw-water line reroute project intended to bypass an eroded section of an older supply line.

City staff described the reroute as a bypass that will move the line east and tie into an existing segment to remove a deep, repeatedly repaired section that has experienced erosion and leaks. Staff said the line currently runs up a hillside to a basin the city no longer uses and that filling and deeding that basin section back to the adjacent property owner will be part of a longer-term solution.

Cody, a city staff member involved with the project, said the property owner had agreed to cooperate and requested removal of fencing and filling of the basin area; staff proposed completing work while crews are already on site for the expansion project. “It’s a good time to just finish this off,” Cody said.

Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the easement agreement and authorized the mayor to sign the document; that motion passed 4-0. The commission later authorized the raw-waterline project in the amount of $32,546.40, which staff said will be paid from the water distribution budget as in-house work. That motion also passed 4-0.

Staff noted a plan to deed the filled basin area to the property owner by 2027 and that the city hopes to use excess material from a railroad project to complete fill within six months to a year. Staff also said the existing line sits 12 to 14 feet deep in places and repeated digs have made the soil unstable, creating safety and shoring concerns if the city attempted further repairs in the same location.