Galesburg will develop a long-term monitoring and inspection plan for its Oquawka water transmission main, a 31-mile pipeline that carries water from an aquifer along the Mississippi River to the Galesburg water plant.
The city council on Monday approved a $35,300 engineering agreement with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly to develop the plan.
City Manager Eric Hanson said the transmission line, installed in 1958, is reaching an age where inspections are necessary. He said the city monitors the transmission line but is now working to develop a more comprehensive, ongoing maintenance plan.
“We want to continue it as our only water supply is in Oquawka,” Hanson said. “So the whole goal of this plan is to put together our strategy for the coming years and hopefully decades to make sure that we maintain the line properly and address any issues before they become much bigger issues down the road.”
Due to the expense of inspecting the entire system, the city instead plans to initially focus on segments of the transmission line that were identified as the most critical in a 2023 risk analysis.
Hanson estimated that replacing the water transmission line could cost tens of millions of dollars to over a hundred million, so the focus is on maintaining the transmission for the foreseeable future.
The agreement includes preparing a request for proposals for initial inspection work, identifying contractors, evaluating potential valve installation locations to improve system reliability, and updating GIS data related to the system.
Funding for the work will come from the city’s water fund.
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