New station assures safe water

By Staff
John Hicks FCT Staff Writer
Last Wednesday, Russellville officials unveiled the new Cedar Creek Raw Water Pump Station Building.
The pumping station will be used on an alternating basis with the one at Lake Elliot. Lake Elliot will remain the city's principal water source.
Officials said the new station at Cedar Creek Lake will guarantee Russellville residents and businesses with a steady supply of water, even in drought conditions.
"Any industry or business that's thinking about coming to the Russellville area is going to want to know if we can meet their water needs," said Russellville Water &Sewer Board Chairman Joe Graham. "If they come, we can supply them."
Board member Keith Gladney, also on hand for the ceremony, agreed with Graham.
"There'll be no problem meeting the city's water needs," said Gladney.
The Cedar Creek station project was begun by former water and sewer manager Joe Murray as a response to the emergency situation created by the drought of 2000. Current manager Doug Clement has overseen the completion of the project, which involved laying 6.5 miles of 24-inch pipe between Cedar Lake and Lake Elliot.
Officials said the new station is capable of pumping more than 6 million gallons a day. Russellville's daily water consumption is between 6 and 7 million gallons. The local poultry industry consumes a significant amount of that figure, officials noted.
Representatives from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and F.W. Dougherty Engineering &Associates Inc., the engineering firm that designed the station, were also on hand for the official opening.
Funding for the project was secured through the bond market, since the board did not qualify for any grants. The project, which took two years to complete, came in $1 million under budget, at a total cost of $5 million.
The new pump station is located on Cedar Creek Lake near Britton Bridge.