Water Project

Town Hall. Water & Wastewater Projects October 14, 2023

Town Hall October 14, 2023 – Hand-outs

Town Hall October 14, 2023 – Video

Town Hall. Water & Wastewater Projects May 6, 2023

Town Hall Video – May 6, 2023

Water and Wastewater Project Information May 06 2023

Water FAQ May 06 2023

Wastewater FAQ May 06 2023

Town Hall. Water and Wastewater Projects  October 29, 2022

Town Hall Agenda October 29, 2022

Water FAQ Oct 29 2022

Wastewater FAQ Oct 29 2022

Mill Levy 101

Worksheet Mill-Levy-Calculations

Water and Wastewater Project Information

Water Project Town Hall Meeting November 6, 2021: View the hand-out below and the Video at — https://fb.watch/97NDu8QJYG/

Water Project is Official. Great news to share! The Linn Valley Water Project is official. Last week, the City received notification from USDA of funding approval. The total project cost is $17,505M with the city receiving $7.283M in grant money and $10.222M in a loan at 1.75% interest. The City Council authorized the Mayor to accept and sign the Letter of Condition (LOC) to receive funding. A Notice to Proceed with the Engineering Design was sent to BG Consultants. There will be a Town Hall on November 6 from 9-11 AM at the LVL Clubhouse to provide an update, and a question/answer forum. Looking forward to sharing the progress with our Residents and Property Owners.

Linn Valley Water Project: This publication of Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment is issued as required by the US Department of Agriculture. The Linn Valley Water Project proposes to expand the water distribution system within the City to serve additional residences. For more information on the Water Project see: https://linnvalleyks.com/water-project/.

UPDATE: On August 10, 2019 the City completed and submitted an application for a grant/loan with USDA for the City Water Project. Notification of intent to file is published in the Linn County News.  Dan Fischer, Community Programs Director, has verbally advised the City will receive a 45% grant for the project.

May 13 the City Council approved the Mayor and City Clerk to apply for funding (grant) for the Water Project. They are meeting with Shelly Underwood from Midwest Assistance Program (MAP) on May 22 to start the process. Per discussion with state officials and shared at the Public Water Meeting on April 20, the City expects to receive grant approval for 45% of the project.

The Linn Valley Water Project started in November of 2017 with the signing with BG Consultants to conduct a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER). The scope of work was to address known inadequacies with the water system infrastructure including supply and distribution. (For additional info on the scope of work refer to the April 14, 2018 Meeting Packet). During community meetings, issues identified by the public included safe drinking water, availability of emergency flow to protect homes and consistency of pressure (quality of service).

In April 2018, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) notified the City that water produced by the local Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was out of compliance in regards to Total Organic Carbon (TOC) additionally a public meeting was conducted and which identified the existing water problems, the scope of the PER, and the project plan. The City entered into a voluntary Compliance Consent Order (CO) in July 2018 that includes short and long-term mitigation actions.

From July 2018-January 2019, the City and BG conducted presentations of the water needs for Linn Valley, gathered additional community information, and worked to obtain written proposals. Two written proposals were received, one from RWD#1 and one from the City of LaCygne. PWWSD#13 did not provide a written proposal. Based on proposals and estimated costs from PWWSD#13 BG completed initial cost analysis.

Water Project PER: Water Project PER 2019-05-17

In February 2019, the Mayor, Councilman Donelson, and BG Consultants met in Topeka with KDHE and USDA to discuss funding options. USDA gave the City a verbal commitment for a 45% project grant.

In April 2019, at a public meeting ( https://www.facebook.com/linnvalley/videos/2235311466783032/ )the City presented a proposed plan of action that addresses the various needs identified in addition to the requirement to continue to satisfy the requirements within the CO.


Water Project FAQ's

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10. Question: What happens when people are on a severely fixed income, and can’t afford to pay for the water line from the meter to the house?

Answer: It is a minimum of 18 months for the first property owners to be connected to enable property owners to plan for the expense and one of many reasons why the information is being provided in advance. All efforts will be made to help property owners on an individual basis.

9. Question: What is going to be the water meter fee?

Answer: The water meter fee has not been determined.

8.  Question: I own lots in Area No 2 (red) (Linn Valley Water Project Map). What is the timeline for water connections in this area?

Answer: It is too early in the project to give specific dates for construction to start and the priority of areas. The areas on the map are not a priority listing, the areas are a depiction of work areas. Schedule of connections will be after a contractor is selected. The earliest construction of the project will be in 2020.

7.  Question: I’ve received verbal quotes that I could be looking at $100 per foot to run water lines from the meter to my house. Will the city be working with the contractor for reasonable rates while in construction? And possible help with financing?

Answer: The City will make every effort to work with private contractors. Ultimately each resident is responsible for selecting their contractor. Residents are responsible for their individual financing and are likely a minimum of 2 years away to enable planning.

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6.  Question: Will I be required to connect to the new waterlines, and if so who will cover the cost of the connection between the meter and the home?

Answer: The following residents will be required to connect to the new water system: all R1 (building lots) and all permanent residents on a R2 (multi-purpose or camping) lot. Temporary residents in campers on an R2 lot will have the option to connect to the City water system. Residents with metered water service (local or RWD#1) will not need a new connecting line. Residents that are on bulk water will be responsible for connecting lines from the meter to their home. Permanent and Temporary residency is defined in Ordinance #178.

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5.  Question: Currently the existing water line is in the back (rear) of my home. Will the water line have to be moved?

Answer: Moving existing water lines will be done on an individual basis and is likely several years from determination. All efforts will be made to minimize moving existing reusable water lines and increasing costs.

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4.  Question: Will I be required to decommission my existing water tank?

Answer: The Linn Valley City Council is not requiring the decommissioning of water tanks used for potable water.

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3.  Question: Can I use my water tank as a storm shelter?

Answer: Residents and Property Owners can make decision on the disposition or re-purposing of their individual water tanks. The City recommends checking with the Public Safety Officer regarding the viability of using for a storm shelter on an individual basis.

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2.  Question: During the public Water Meeting I heard that the average monthly water bill is $80, what is the rate structure?

Answer: The rate structure has not been determined by the City Council because the project is in an early phase. The next step is to apply for grant funding of the project.

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1.  Question: Why can’t the existing water lines be “reused” and save money?

Answer: The majority of existing infrastructure will not support the water pressure for emergency flow and the pressurized fire hydrants. The scope of the project includes upgrading the infrastructure for the entire City to have consistent water flow and quality.