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Edgewood reviews $3.88 million draft plan for new water tower to boost south‑end pressure
Summary
Town water superintendent presented a draft hydraulic model proposing a $3.88 million, 250,000‑gallon water tank to raise south‑end pressure, meet fire protection PSI standards and increase overhead storage; council discussed funding and small‑town eligibility for lead‑service‑line grants with the state representative.
Mr. Ferguson, the town's water superintendent, told the council the consulting hydraulic model proposes a 250,000‑gallon water tank projected at about $3.88 million and said the new tank would raise pressure for South Edgewood, help meet fire protection PSI requirements and add needed overhead storage.
The proposal stems from a draft model that identified four candidate sites — two outside town limits and two inside — and projects that a 250,000‑gallon tank would provide enough storage and pressure to meet state fire‑protection standards for the southern service area. "They're projecting it at $3.88 million to put a 250,000galon water tank in," Mr. Ferguson said, and he emphasized the report is a draft to be finalized after April 1.
Why it matters: the town currently has a 60,000‑gallon tank and the model shows a much larger tank would boost pressure and overhead storage, which would improve fire response and reduce vulnerability during outages. Mr. Ferguson said the proposed tank would increase available overhead storage well above current daily use — improving resilience on days with heavy usage or hydrant flushing.
Council members pressed Mr. Ferguson on funding and timelines. He said the town intended to pursue State Revolving Fund (SRF) assistance where eligible and noted timing problems: the engineering draft arrived late in the planning calendar, limiting earlier SRF or grant planning. He urged council members to review the engineer's report and said staff will request corrections and follow up with more accessible copies for council review.
Funding and grant eligibility drew separate concern. Mr. Ferguson said Edgewood has had low resident response to lead‑service‑line outreach, complicating identification efforts, and that small municipalities have been told they do not qualify for some larger allocations: "Edgewood is being told it gets no funding because we are under the population threshold," he said, asking for state help. State Representative Kyle Pierce, attending the meeting, said he would follow up with the appropriate agencies and explore whether thresholds or reverted funds could be used to help smaller towns.
Next steps: Mr. Ferguson said the town will slow‑walk the project while the engineering report is finalized and pursue possible SRF funding; council members and staff will meet to review the draft, correct errors noted in the model and develop a more complete funding plan before any site acquisition or design‑build steps.
The water department presentation provided the most substantive agenda item of the night and did not include any formal vote on the tower; the council asked staff to continue review and return with updated cost, site and funding details.
