Intake jumps the river
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
A proposed intake project is moving forward as scheduled, but in a different location than initially planned.
Jasper Klein of AE2S Engineering told Washburn City Commissioners on Monday night that the location mapped out for a new intake is now covered by a sandbar. With the spot on the north side of the river, adjacent to the current intake, inaccessible, Klein said the city had a decision to make.
The city can either call off the project or examine building the intake from the south side of the river, Klein said.
Klein said the total project cost for the north side intake was estimated at $3.84 million, including a backup generator. Building on the south side of the river would bump the project up to $4.03 million, not including the backup generator. The city’s portion of the north side project was estimated at $480,000, with the local cost for the south side project around $670,000.
The cost of the south side project, Klein said, included the price of purchasing the river-adjacent land from a local resident. Klein said he did not know how much the property would cost, but that the landowner was interested in selling to the city.
Klein said the south intake location wasn’t the first choice because it would be more expensive, but that the river is expected to change less on that side.
