Ottawa offers water support to Naplate after plant issues

Issues with the village of Naplate's water treatment plant have led to the city of Ottawa offering them water until the issue is resolved.

The Ottawa City Council placed on file an agreement to offer an "emergency supply" of water to Naplate.

Commissioner of Public Property Tom Ganiere explained an issue with the village of Naplate's water treatment plant had them in need of clean water quickly.

"And since there is already a line from Ottawa to Naplate, all we needed to do was open the valve and provide them with water for a period of time," Ganiere said.

Mayor Dan Aussem said the issues related to the village's membranes at the reverse osmosis plant and weren't too dissimilar to issues Ottawa has had in the past. But Ottawa is able to isolate some issues and work off of another plant, whereas Naplate is not.

The process is supplying the village with clean water but did lead to some issues, including a couple of water main breaks and discolored water, similar to what occurs when a hydrant is flushed. Ottawa assisted with the breaks and offered pressure-reducing valves to mitigate issues.

Ganiere said the village will be charged the resident rate for water for 60 days, but beyond that it would double to the nonresident rate.

The process went well and the work was done and retroactively approved at the special City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Aussem did pass comments along to State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, that the process could have gone smoother if there were fewer legal hoops to jump through.

"I said, you think during emergencies you should be able to help out your neighbors quicker," Aussem said.