A new water reservoir project in Chelan has secured federal taxpayer revenues as part of broad water resources legislation.
City officials say $9 million was awarded toward future construction of the East Chelan Water Resiliency and Efficiency Project. The authorization was recently was approved by both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. and signed into law by President Biden.
"With the passage and signing of this legislation, Chelan can now apply for competitive funding through the Army Corps of Engineers’ Section 219 program, bringing this ambitious and essential project closer to realization," the city stated in a news release.
"The Lake Chelan Water Resiliency and Efficiency Project is critical for safeguarding Chelan’s water infrastructure, particularly on the North Shore," according to the city. "Currently, the area’s water supply relies entirely on a single booster pump station, which poses significant risks to the community. A failure at this station could disrupt both the daily water supply and emergency firefighting efforts."
This $19 million dollar project will address these vulnerabilities through the development of a 1-million-gallon reservoir that will include a new booster pump station to ensure redundancy, pressure-reducing stations to enhance system efficiency and transmission piping to improve water distribution.
Once complete, the improved infrastructure will protect the community during future wildfire threats by ensuring water storage and distribution capacity to support firefighting. Additionally, the city asserts, a new reservoir will enhance the efficiency of Chelan’s existing water network, improving operational reliability to meet the demands of the city’s growing residential and commercial sectors.
“We are incredibly thankful for the support of Representative Schrier, Senator Murray, and Senator Cantwell,” said Chelan Mayor Erin McCardle. “Their efforts have been pivotal to realizing the inclusion of this project in the bill. This initiative ensures Chelan is better prepared for emergencies while supporting our community’s future growth.”
The City of Chelan plans on continuing collaboration with federal, state, and local partners to bring this project to fruition.
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