A new planned neighborhood in Nome is offering acreage for future development.
Courtesy of Autumn Morrell/ReMaxOne
Beaumont Enterprise
Olivia Malick, Staff writer
Some rural Jefferson County residents will soon see $6.275 million in water improvements
Jefferson County commissioners on June 13 unanimously approved the allocation of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to the West Jefferson County Municipal Water District, the Meeker Municipal Water District and the city of Nome for multiple water system resiliency projects.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds may be used "to make necessary investments in water and sewer infrastructure."
"State, local and Tribal governments have a tremendous need to address the consequences of deferred maintenance in drinking water systems and removal, management and treatment of sewage and stormwater, along with additional resiliency measures needed to adapt to climate change," the department's overview of the funds states.
A majority of the funds were allocated to the West Jefferson County Municipal Water District, which serves subdivisions in Hamshire, Fannett and other surrounding communities. The district received $4.5 million to construct two potable water storage tanks, set to be constructed at the district's site at 7824 Glenbrook Dr. in Beaumont.
The project includes one 500,000 gallon elevated potable water storage tank within the district's water distribution system and a 1 million gallon ground potable water storage tank at the district's water treatment facility, according to the county's agreement for the funds.
The project will enable the district to "provide safe and reliable water service to residents of the district and remain in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and standards established by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, despite challenges caused by disasters or other circumstances," the agreement reads.
The city of Nome received $1.3 million to furnish and install a new sanitary pump and lift station on U.S. 90 and Texas 365, with the goal of expanding and improving the system's capacity "with more efficient and reliable operation."
The project includes designing and building a new duplex submersible wastewater pump station, collection system and force main to wastewater treatment plant, according to the agreement.
Nome Mayor Kerry Abney told The Enterprise Thursday that the city is growing, and more businesses are looking to move there, particularly since there's no city tax as in nearby Beaumont. The new sewer pump and lift station is slated to help the city provide sewer service to plastic fabrication plant A. Schulman, located on Old Nome Rd off of U.S. 90.
"There's no sewer lines down (U.S.) 90 from (Texas) 365 that way, so we're trying to pick up more area and we're trying to keep from running all the sewer (lines) through the middle of Nome, we're going to go around the city," Abney said.
Abney said he hopes the project will be completed in the next year but noted that the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic still linger on the supply-chain, adding that pumps can take about six months to receive.
The remaining $475,000 was allocated to the Meeker Municipal Water District for improvements to its well #3 at 10325 Tram Rd. in Beaumont.
The funds will allow the district to build an elevated steel platform and metal building at well #3 "to house critical components such as a generator, booster pumps, valves, piping, electrical equipment, disinfection equipment and testing equipment," according to the agreement.
Completion of the project is intended to "establish system resiliency" in order for the district to maintain safe levels of potable water throughout the distribution system, even during flooding or other disasters.
While no specific timeline was given for the projects to be completed, under the agreement, the award funds have to be used for costs incurred from March 3, 2021 to December 31, 2026, as long as obligations are incurred by December 31, 2024 and liquidated by December 31, 2026.