Mount Carmel approves low bid for pressure‑reducing valves, pursues USDA aid as water breaks continue

Mount Carmel City Council voted to accept the lowest bid to replace three aging pressure‑reducing valves that staff said have been contributing to repeated water‑main breaks across the city.

"Last week, we've had a lot of water issues," the mayor said, praising public‑works crews for overnight work to restore service and for avoiding a second shutdown. Council heard that three vendor quotes had been received for valves and installation: Engineer(ed) Solutions/Midwest at $66,003.80, ESI at $67,007.42 and CNC at the low price of $61,004.97. Staff recommended awarding the work to CNC; a motion to do so was made, seconded and approved by roll call.

Why it matters: city officials described a persistent problem in which higher pressure from the north side of town transmits toward lower elevations and accelerates line failures. Staff described the valves as pressure‑operational differential valves that reduce north‑side pressure into the south side; when the valves fail the city sees recurring line breaks and service interruptions. Replacement and installation include parts and labor in the quoted prices.

City officials also said they will pursue outside funding to offset costs. "I have a meeting with the USDA on Wednesday to see about getting some relief for the city on these line breakages," staff said; the USDA program discussed in the meeting can provide grants of up to $150,000 for eligible recovery and repair work.

The council was also told staff vetted vendor pricing and compared quotes with work performed by Donahue to ensure competitive costs. Councilors proceeded with a motion to use the CNC low bid after staff confirmed the quotes were comparable and included installation.

At the same meeting, staff gave an update on the city's smart‑meter rollout: "We purchased 500 water meters. We have 250 of them installed so far," Heath said. The new meters send hourly reads, provide automated leak reports and can notify customers by email or cell phone if the city has contact information on file. City staff said batteries in the new meters will be replaceable (estimated at roughly $30) rather than requiring full‑meter replacement, and that most installation will be done in‑house to save cost.

Next steps: the city will proceed with contracting for valve replacement per the approved bid and continue outreach on the USDA grant application. Staff will continue to install smart meters and encourage customers to provide an email or cell number on their account to receive leak alerts.