City to begin next phase of water work in March

With the new year comes the start of one new project and phase II of another for the City of Cameron. The 2017 Community Development Block Grant has been approved and work will begin by March 1. “The purpose of the project is to repair and/or replace several sewer collection mains south of Highway 190/36 and recondition several manholes,” Jerald Brunson, Utility Director for the City of Cameron said. “The City of Cameron has partnered with TCEQ to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce both sewer spills and groundwater infiltration into our system. The lines and manholes selected have been identified as major contributors to one or both of these issues. The largest of these repairs is for a sewer collection main that runs from Main Street to Batte Street between South Orchard and South Colfax. This line goes through several pastures and a creek. The repair of this pipe will be done by inserting a flexible fiber lining that is heated and cured in place.” Brunson said phase II of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund project has also been approved and will begin immediately. There are several parts to phase II including replacing the remaining 500 to 600 manual read meters with radio frequency auto-read meters. As this part of the project progresses, residents will be notified by a door hanger if their meter will be replaced. Brunson said the goal is to notify customers at least 24 hours in advance of any work to be done. Phase II will also see the installation of a new water main on East 3rd Street including new fire hydrants where needed. It will also replace undersized or failing distribution lines on East Gillis, Houston (downtown) and Adams. This will include replacing old or installing new fire hydrants where needed. Included in these installations will be the running of new service lines for all residences and businesses affected. The following projects are scheduled to begin construction at some time this calendar year: major upgrade to the Water Treatment Plant; construction of new laboratory for water and wastewater testing along with office space for the Utility Department; rehabilitation of the city’s 1.65 million gallon ground storage tank; build a new sludge handling operation for the new sewer plant upgrade; and break ground on the new Continuous Flow Sequential Batch Reactor treatment system at the wastewater plant along with modification to some existing facilities. Questions about any of the upcoming projects can be directed to the Utility Department through City Hall.