Bernice Public Works Authority

PROJECT PURPOSE

The Bernice Public Works Authority (BPWA) has water quality issues including poor taste, color and odor. Currently the BPWA provides an existing emergency connection to the Town of Afton providing their system approximately 100,000 gallons of water per month. The citizens of Bernice and Afton are currently purchasing bottled water for drinking purposes due to the very poor water quality of both systems. The nearby Ketchum Public Works Authority (KPWA) system, located approximately 6 miles from Bernice PWA, has recently constructed a new surface water treatment facility producing superior drinking water. The proposed improvements include extending a new water line approximately 6 miles to interconnect the Bernice PWA with the Ketchum PWA's system which would allow Bernice PWA to purchase water and provide an improved water supply source. The Ketchum PWA has agreed to the proposed interconnect with the Bernice PWA. This interconnection will also provide higher quality drinking water for the Town of Afton through the same existing emergency connection from Bernice PWA's system. Also, through this proposed interconnection, the Bernice PWA will be able to provide emergency water backup for the Ketchum PWA system creating redundancy and a regionalized water system.

EVIDENCE

The Oklahoma Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has on file water quality testing results for Bernice Public Works Authority, Ketchum Public Works Authority and the Town of Afton. The current water quality testing results for the new Ketchum water treatment facility demonstrates the reduction in sediment and sulfare that is currently found in the other systems' drinking water.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

All residents receiving water from the Bernice Public Works Authority were affected by the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, the water users in the area purchase bottled water for drinking running on average of $50 - $125 per month based on family size. During the pandemic, most of the community was home bound increasing the amount of bottled water needed exponentially. Water users continue to have monthly water bills for normal household use, but had the extra burden of the additional expense for purchasing bottled water. Another issue the water users face is the extreme hardship to household appliances and plumbing due to the highly mineralized system water resulting in extreme buildup and corrosion of the appliances resulting in replacement every 2-3 years. With additional time at home during the pandemic, water use increased putting more demand on the already compromised appliances and plumbing.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

We will use incremental milestones such as preliminary planning, engineering reports, design, construction and project management. We will develop a gantt chart including milestones and a timeline for each phase of the project in order to compare the proposed project timeline versus actual progress of each milestone listed above to measure the project performance. Milestones are defined as project phases from preliminary planning through construction closeout. We will collect data for the project per the funding agencies program requirements including census data, cost estimates, and any information necessary to obtain permits or clearances required by local, state, or federal agencies.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding