Mt. Vernon Register-News

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July 30, 2010

Deadline extended in water purchase dispute

Pittsburg seeks to purchase water directly from RLCD

By TESA CULLI tesa.culli@register-news.com

BENTON — The Rend Lake Conservancy District is giving Pittsburg and Johnston City another 30 days to come to an agreement about whether the district should provide water directly to Pittsburg.

“This is the first time we’ve had this particular situation,” RLCD General Manager Keith Thomason said. “Our policy has been if there is not a compelling reason for us to withhold service, we would allow someone to tap onto our system at their cost.”

Last month, representatives from Pittsburg and its water customer, Coal Valley Water Company, requested RLCD allow Pittsburg to purchase waster directly from the district instead of going through Johnston City. At this time, Pittsburg purchases was from Johnston City, which purchases from RLCD. Pittsburg in turn, sells water to Coal Valley Water Co. Thomason said there are no contracts between the district and Johnston City, which gives the city exclusive rights to sell water to Pittsburg, and a water contract between Johnston City and Pittsburg expired in 2005.

Pittsburg Mayor Keith Violet said his municipality and Coal Valley would share the costs of putting in an underground storage tank and move its existing pump station to comply with requirements to tap onto the district water lines. Violet said last month, and Monday, that he had spoken with the mayor of Johnston City — who told him a letter releasing Pittsburg would be forthcoming, but “we haven’t gotten a letter yet,” Violet said.

Thomason reported he had also spoken to Johnston City officials, who said they would not give the district a letter releasing Pittsburg to buy directly from RLCD.

Although RLCD Board members Jere Shaw and David Stewart quickly made a motion to allow Pittsburg to purchase water directly from the district, they withdrew the motions after other board members expressed misgivings in moving forward without additional information from Johnston City officials.

“I feel very uncomfortable moving forward,” board member Jim Rippy said. “Are we going to get a letter, are we not? I’d like to get more information.”

According to Johnston City Water Engineer Larry Lipe, the city looks on Pittsburg as their client.

“They agree the contract with Pittsburg and Johnston City has expired,” Lipe said. “Johnston City has spent money taking care of Pittsburg. They put in water storage just for their system and spent a substantial amount on that storage.”

Lipe said Pittsburg officials had expressed they did not want to purchase the storage tank from Johnston City or pay the city for its investment into the structure.

“I don’t want Johnston City to lose money, but I don’t want them to tell us who we can and can’t sell water to,” Shaw said.

The board decided to give Johnston City and Pittsburg 30 days to respond to the request, and allow time for the two to work out issues with the storage tank.

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