Boulder Hill Water Quality on Tonight's Agenda

Residents in Boulder Hill may start seeing cleaner water by the weekend, according to village staff. But the question of how to deal with the long-term rust issues in that area is a more complex one, and one that trustees will begin debating tonight.

At Monday’s Village Board meeting, Director Mike Pubentz said he expects an improvement in Boulder Hill’s water quality after the main water treatment plant on Knell Road comes back online. The plant has been out of commission since January, when residents about a petroleum smell in their water.

That plant is ready to go back online on Friday, Pubentz said, and when it does, he expects the rusty water problems that have plagued sections of Boulder Hill since last November to finally clear up. The issues started when one of the village’s wells - #14, on the west side – failed late last year.

To compensate, village staff began pumping water to Boulder Hill from other wells, and the shift in direction shook loose rust deposits that had built up on the older cast-iron pipes beneath that area. And since the main treatment plant has been offline, Boulder Hill has been getting its water from Well #8, which Pubentz said contains a different water chemistry, one that takes iron deposits off the pipes.

Several Boulder Hill residents about rusty water in the ensuing months, with many of them saying the problem cleared up temporarily after Well #14 was in January, but had worsened in the ensuing weeks.

Many residents said they have spent money on bottled water, on new filters and water softeners, on removing rust stains from toilets and showers, and on replacing clothes and other items ruined by rust. Trustees have broached the subject of offering to those affected, and that topic is up for debate at tonight’s Committee of the Whole meeting.

According to a report prepared by Pubentz, there are an estimated 249 properties that likely were affected by the recent rust issues. The board has talked about granting a credit on the water bills of those affected, and Pubentz broke down the cost in $25 increments.

A credit of $25 to all 249 homes would cost $6,225. A credit of $50 would run the village $12,450. And a credit of $75 would cost $18,675. Pubentz said village staff would verify the final number of affected homes by address and water account number.

But the most recent problems have brought the focus back to Boulder Hill’s persistent water quality issues, which have been in place for decades. Village Engineer Pete Wallers, in a memo to trustees, wrote that to achieve a “long-term solution to this problem will require replacement of key water mains and looping an replacement of dead end and possibly small diameter mains.”

That promises to be an expensive proposition. Wallers outlined the areas of highest concern in his memo, and estimated the total cost at more than $7.6 million, emphasizing that this is only a preliminary estimate.

Should trustees wish to pursue these extensive repairs, they will need to incorporate those costs into the next water rate study. The last study was adopted in 2009, and set rate increases for the next five years.

Trustees recently approved an increase of three percent for Montgomery residents, taking their rate up to $4.90 per 1000 gallons used, while holding Boulder Hill residents at $6.03 per 1000 gallons.

Boulder Hill is an unincorporated area that is not part of the village of Montgomery, but receives water service from the village.

The Committee of the Whole will meet to discuss potential payments to Boulder Hill residents and a long-term solution for water quality, among other issues. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 200 N. River Street, and is free and open to the public.