Bureau gets federal boost for water project

BUREAU — The village of Bureau is getting a big boost from the federal government to help improve the village’s water system.

Bureau is the recipient of two federally-funded grants. The first grant, announced last year, is for approximately $325,000 and is part of the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) administered through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The second grant, announced Oct. 7, is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act out of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and gives the village $146,000.

The grant money comes at a good time. For more than a year, the village of Bureau has been operating with one well, since the alternate well started producing an unacceptable amount of sand in the water and had to be shut down. In addition to acting as a backup, the well also shared part of the workload, with the town often rotating usage between the two, according to Bureau Mayor Rodney Crowther.

“We have no backup well. If we had problems with our other well, we’d be in trouble,” said Crowther

To rectify the situation, the village is going to start using an existing well located at the Children’s Memorial Park as their emergency well. The park’s land, including the well, is on lease from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the village is allowed to use the well at no cost.

“The DNR may charge later down the road if they are in need of funds, but right now, there is no charge,” said Crowther.

The grant money will be used to finance the installation of a water main from the park’s well to the village’s reverse osmosis system. In addition to the water main, the funds will also go toward the construction of a 12-foot by 12-foot building to house the new well, with remaining funds spent installing a drainage valve on the village’s water tower.

The village hopes to open up the project for bids sometime in December, with the work starting in the spring when the weather allows.

Crowther stressed the project will not take up much space or affect the park equipment.