By Lucky Kidd
McPHERSON, Kan. — 1,862 surveys have been received by the McPherson Board of Public Utilities as it continues a survey on the presence of lead and copper water lines in the city as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Board of Public Utilities general manager Josh Bedel told McPherson City Commissioners this represents just under a third of their water customer base, and they are continuing to follow-up on survey completion which it needs to complete reports it needs to submit to EPA later this year.
Bedel said crews are hoping to finish a water line replacement project on Maple between Avenues C and D in the next week or so, after which they will begin work on moving some water lines in connection with a drainage project on Euclid.
Once things dry out electric crews will resume overhead line build work along 17th Avenue, another crew has begun pulling. An underground crew has completed overhead to underground conversion work along Sonora Drive and is now pulling wire from the Mohawk substation to other locations connected with that project.
A final walk down took place Tuesday on the South Well Field pipeline, as representatives of BPU, Burns and McDonnell and the project contractor inspected the water lines from the field in Harvey County to McPherson. Well pumps are still scheduled to arrive around June 10th after which installation will begin. Meanwhile concrete work has been completed at the water treatment plant, with other work there continuing.
