Schawana celebrates new water system

Andreina Gutierrez, 9, and Brian Prudente, 8, and Nabor Prudente, 13, look at a design of the recently completed water system in Schawana. The system was selected as the most improved water system in Washington in 2004.<br>Brad W. Gary/Columbia Basin Herald

by Brad W. Gary<br>Herald Staff Writer
| May 3, 2005 9:00 PM

State awards system as 'most improved'

BEVERLY — Residents of Schawana didn't always have fire hydrants.

The residents of the area's 54 households relied on a 1,000 gallon pressure tank for their water. A tank that didn't have a roof over it, and suffered from rotten pipes. The poor condition of that water system changed last year. After seven years of planning and implementing the project, Schawana's new water system became fully operational in November.

The project turned from a dream into a reality with the help of more than $900,000 in grants and loans from state and federal agencies. The improved system has gained the eye of the Office of Drinking Water at the State Department of Health, which honored the project as the "most improved" water system in the state. Scott Torpie is an assistant regional manager with the Division of Drinking Water, and was on hand Monday to honor the project.

"Your efforts have resulted in a safe and reliable drinking water system for you and your families and your whole community," Torpie told the dozens who had gathered at the Beverly Fire Hall to celebrate.

The new system has been seven years in the making, and started when Schawana community members bought the system in 1996 and formed the Sentinel Gap Water Association.

James M. Brown is the acting president of the Sentinel Gap Water Association, and accepted the award for the association. Brown said he hopes the new system lasts for 50 years.

"I don't think anybody has a better water system then we do," Brown said, "We've been very fortunate of all the help we got."

Brown has been on the association's committee since the beginning, and he said the residents are still using the existing well, but the old system just had rotten pipes.

"It has a little chlorine we put in it, but it's good water," he said.

The new system allows for the water to be partially chlorinated. The 45,000 gallon reservoir also includes a submersible well pump, booster pumping station, fire hydrants and complete distribution system. The tank itself has a sensor that states when the tank gets partially empty, those tanks will fill up to replenish the supply.

"Pumps will speed up and down to meet the demand of the users," said Jake Hollopeter, engineer of the Anderson Perry Firm that took care of construction. Hollopeter said the only thing that wasn't replaced was the well itself.

The Grant County Commissioners administered funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program and the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development for the project.

"This is a very exciting day for all of us here," Grant County Commissioner Deborah Moore told the crowd of Schawana residents, "but especially for the residents here of the Schawana area."

Alfredo Gutierrez is a board member on the association, and called the new system, "beautiful." With the old system, Gutierrez said he didn't have enough water pressure to even take a shower. Now he has all the water pressure he needs.

"It's beautiful," he said. "They did a great job."

Steven Troendle with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Steven Washington with the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development also came to celebrate the program which their agencies helped fund.

"For us, it was a health and safety issue that we made sure we wanted to fund," said Washington.