BEATRICE – There’s no shortage of work in the City of Beatrice Water Department this year…in regular maintenance, department-led improvements and contracted projects.


City Water Superintendent Steve Kelley says the department is within a month to six weeks of finishing installation of a new transmission line at wellfields northwest of Beatrice.


"We're laying a six inch pipe while working to tie-in to the fourteen inch main that actually comes into town. That pipe was laid in the early 60s."
The transmission line is one of the major components of system improvements being funded through a more than seven million State of Nebraska loan, at no interest cost.


Kelley talked about another component of the program….replacement of downtown water mains. That work is beginning along Fourth Street.
Horizontal boring for the water main installation may get underway Friday. The city is contracting with Myers Construction.


"They'll start at Fourth and Grant, in that area for about 150-feet or so...then they'll go across the street on the east side...and then they'll go in front of the school and continue to Bell Street. The plan is to set up south of Ella when they bore. They're going to bore all the way up to the alley, south of Grant Street."


The company creates holes at water tap locations, and then bores the new eight-inch diameter main in place. Kelley says the part that goes by the Beatrice Middle School may mean that water service will be off, at most, two to three hours…and will likely be done after school hours.


"They are very concerned about the public. They talked to some of the businesses downtown. They've talked to the schools...and are trying to work around it."


The downtown work will not be without some inconvenience. New mains will be installed on a long section of Court Street and along a portion of Market Street.
"Especially when we go down Court Street, between Fourth and about Eighth to Tenth...it's going to be tough....but I feel confident from our conversations with them....that they're going to try to work as much as they can with the businesses downtown to make it somewhat tolerable."


In addition to the contracted work, Kelley says his crews are finishing an installation along 20th Street….and others will follow on Millikin Street and on Beaver Street.