Warden receives $9.8 million to fund water system upgrades

WARDEN — The city of Warden has received funding from the Public Works Board to pay for upgrades to the city’s water system. 

The city received $9.8 million, according to a PWB press release. Warden Clerk-Treasurer Kris Schuler said it’s a loan, but that some of it could be converted to a grant. Jamin Ankney, of Gray and Osborne, the city’s engineers, estimated that up to $2 million could be converted to a grant, but that’s still to be determined.  

Most of the money will be used to replace aging water lines throughout town, Schuler said. 

“We have very old steel lines in the city that are on the point of failure,” she said. “Some of those steel lines have probably been in there since the 1950s.” 

The maximum PWB funding is $10 million, she said; Warden officials asked for $9.8 and got the entire amount.  

Ankney said the system is still working but is in need of upgrades.   

“Warden hasn’t had a ton of issues yet,” Ankney said, “but (the city) is being proactive.” 

Schuler estimated the funding will pay for about 16,000 feet of new water line. Not only are the existing lines 60 to 70 years old, some of them are too small, she said. Some lines currently six to eight inches will be upgraded to 16 inches.  

“The fire flow will be better,” she said.  

A portion of the PWB funding will go toward completion of a second project, replacement of the water system’s booster station. 

Warden topography is pretty flat, but the Warden School District property is on a hill. The booster station ensures the high spots have adequate water pressure. 

“It increases the (water) pressure to the highest elevation around the school,” he said.  

But the booster system is old too.  

“That system is beyond its useful life,” Schuler said. 

That project is already underway, and the city had obtained funding for it, but needed a little more money than what it had available. The PWB funding will make up the difference, Schuler said. 

Schuler said the replacement of the water lines will be an ongoing project, and city officials and engineers will be making a priority list of those sections most in need of upgrades. Ankney said engineers will be planning the project in 2025. 

While it’s a low-interest loan, it’s still a loan and the city will have to pay it back.  

“We do believe it will affect water rates,” Schuler said, but how much is still to be determined. 

The loan will go a long way toward replacing the existing water system, Schuler said.  

“It is really good news,” she said.