Clients of the Jayess-Topeka-Tilton Water Association will seean improvement in their water system after the utility securednearly $2 million in funding from the U.S. Department ofAgriculture, but a timetable for completion of the project is notcertain.

Randy King, the system operator, said he was not sure when workon the project would begin because the utility is still awaitingthe funding.

System officials were notified they had been approved for arural development grant of $862,600 and a loan for $1,107,000 lastweek. The loan is guaranteed for a period of 40 years at 4.25percent interest.

The Water and Waste Disposal Grant and Loan will be used toconstruct a 550-gallon per minute well to rehabilitate two elevatedstorage tanks and two ground storage tanks to prevent furtherdeterioration of the tanks. The new well will be located just southof the treatment plant on Jayess-Topeka Road and will be largerthan the existing wells.

Some of the distribution lines will also be enlarged and thenlooped with other lines within the system to increase waterpressure in some critical areas, King said.

“It will increase pressure in certain areas of the system, butthe main thing is volume,” he said. “It will help keep our reservetanks fuller.”

There should be no disruption of service associated with theproject, King said, unless a line is accidentally cut. In thatcase, he said, any disruption should last no longer than a fewhours as line repairs are made.

The water association serves approximately 1,400 clients in anarea of about 300 square miles.