PINEVILLE — The Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Water has recognized the Pineville Water Treatment Plant for meeting area-wide water plant optimization program goals for both settled and filtered water in 2009, and for being considered a “totally optimized plant” for treated water turbidity and microbial removal.

Few plants across the state have earned the accolade; this is the fifth consecutive year that it has been awarded to the Pineville plant.

Several projects are underway for the sewer and water utilities. The on-going Kentucky Avenue project, which began in February, is progressing slightly ahead of schedule — with minimal problems encountered. Repairs on both the old combined sewer line and the old cast iron waterline have been made without interruption of service.  

In preparation for taking the old lines out of service, the few customers who remain connected to the old line will be moved onto newer mains.

Removing the old line will require periodic water service outages downtown, and will result in boil water advisories.

The work will be planned in advance, conducted on the weekend, and the schedule will be communicated in advance to affected customers.  

In addition to the project on Kentucky Avenue, the construction of a new sanitary sewer force main promises to improve the sewer system within the city.  

The main will connect the lift stations at the OTB and Newtown locations. The OTB station will be replaced and the Newtown station will receive upgrades. So far, pumps and motors have been installed and initial testing has been completed.  

Once finalized, the project will make drastic changes to the downtown sewer system.

“It takes the sewage from seven lift stations on 25-E, and down at the Bible college, and Bell Central and Pine Mountain State Park, and sends that sewage directly to our waste-water treatment plant, rather than sending it through town into our combined system,” explained Utility Manager Bill Bunch.

“That’s about 60 percent of our daily flow that is now going straight to the plant, not through the old system downtown where we have so many problems.”

The project on Virginia Avenue — which will replace the existing dilapidated combined sewer with separate storm and sanitary sewer lines on Virginia and the streets east of it — has not yet begun, but a portion of the utility’s funds have been allocated to begin engineering services on the project.  

“Virginia Avenue hasn’t started in terms of construction yet, but we just selected an engineer for it, Vaughn and Melton in Middlesboro. We’ll begin right away on some study work and design work on that, so that one is getting up and moving,” remarked Bunch.

A new pump station and water storage tank will be constructed for Woodland Hills and Paula Drive. Currently, the locations are serviced by separate stations and tanks, and there are serious problems with the facilities at Woodland Hills. The new pump station and water tank will service both areas.

Construction is set to begin this summer, and Vaughn and Melton are the project engineers.

Lorie Settles is a Correspondent for the Middlesboro Daily News.