Councilman: Treatment plant is city's last resort

According to the new water solution plans introduced by Councilman Jim Kenny and approved by a majority of the City Council at Monday night's council meeting, the last thing the city plans to do is develop a treatment facility for the city of McCook.

The plan, demonstrated by a flow chart produced by Kenny, first calls for the drilling of new test wells for an additional two or three low nitrate wells. That water would be blended with the city's current water supply to reduce the nitrate level below the Environmental Protection Agency's mandate of 10 parts per million.

At the same time, Kenny's plan would take the higher nitrate wells and direct that water for industrial use and non-potable municipal use for activities such as watering city-owned cemeteries and ball fields.

The plan also calls for the immediate enforcement of wellhead protection and conservation. "Farmers need to be better stewards of the land as far as chemigation processes," he said.

And, like the citizens of McCook, they are also learning to practice water conservation because of the low water levels being experienced across the area. "Unfortunately we're in a drought," he said. Farmers are having a lot of trouble growing their crops with well drilling moratoriums and low lake levels.

Kenny said the city may eventually have to relocate the city's 4 million-gallon water storage tank after a vulnerable designation was placed on the system.

That move will reportedly cost the city from $4 - $5 million dollars, however the city is in discussions with Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad on possible restitution.

In response to the disappointment displayed by fellow councilmembers Dick Trail and Jerry Reitz, Kenny said the two are expressing their personal opinions on the issue. But, he said, "I think with all the (Frontier County) farmers coming forward and expressing their concerns along with the county itself, this was the only decision we could make."

Plus, he said, from a cost standpoint, he could not see the feasibility of the action.

If the city can avoid treating for nitrates by blending additional low-nitrate wells, Kenny said he understands that the cost of treatment for arsenic and uranium will be less than half the projected costs.

And, if the city moves slowly, the U.S. government may find a way to help finance the city's effort to come into compliance with the mandates on those two components.