Creston Waterworks proposes uptown improvement plan

In October, the Creston Waterworks Board unanimously voted to stop the North Maple Street improvement plan, which focused on the 100, 200 and part of 300 blocks of the street. Bids for the work was $270,000 more than the original budget.

Three months later, Waterworks has a new improvement plan focusing on updating the piping infrastructure in uptown Creston. After years of fixing mains built in the 1890s, Waterworks has proposed to fully upgrade the water distribution system.

“Creston has some very old and aging infrastructure, especially in the uptown area,” said General Manager Steve Guthrie. “We’ve identified areas that are either problems because of the number of times they’ve been repaired or because they are very old. It also has a lot of lead service lines.”

Because of the age of some of the pipes, many have been built using lead. Guthrie said that customers with lead lines will have their lines replaced at no cost.

For this phase of the project, Waterworks plans on focusing on Montgomery Street from Cherry Street to Division Street, Adams Street from Walnut Street to Sumner Avenue, Division Street from Adams Street to Howard Street and Cherry Street from Montgomery Street to Mills Street. Guthrie said that they hope to eventually improve other areas of town.

Waterworks’ tentative plan starts with securing bids, applying for financing and getting grants to fund this project.

“We’re not yet sure finance-wise and bid-wise of the cost,” Guthrie said. “There may be a small rate increase associated with this project, but that is yet to be determined.”

Waterworks hopes to have a bid by late 2023, with a possible start during spring 2024.