PRETTY PRAIRIE � This Reno County community of about 680 residents is staring at an estimated overall $4.63 million fix for nitrate-heavy water and an aging water system.



Pretty Prairie City Council members indicated Monday night a desire to reduce the project�s scope, but the bill still would be in the seven figures. A contingent from Pretty Prairie � Mayor Mike Seyb, council member Ron Hedgecock and City Clerk Patti Brace � will go to Topeka Tuesday to learn about potential grants or loans from the state and federal governments.



In May, city officials received a draft of a preliminary engineering report by BG Consultants Inc., Hutchinson, which pointed out problems:



The average nitrate levels in city water during 2013 had a maximum contaminant level of 19.85 milligrams per liter. The maximum should not exceed 10, and that puts city drinking water on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment�s violation list. The city uses one well, because one city well has been disconnected and another city well is used only for emergency purposes, all due to high nitrates. An ion exchange treatment operation is recommended by engineers. Besides the ion exchange treatment plant, lined lagoons would have to be created to hold residual brine from the treatment plant. The city�s 50,000-gallon-capacity water tower was built in 1919. The engineers recommended a new pedosphere tower with a 150,000-gallon capacity. �This is the preferred storage alternative, as it is the most sustainable option that meets the recommended storage capacity,� the report said. Seventy-four percent of existing water mains in the city are smaller than the 6-inch diameter recommended by KDHE. The engineers advised replacing all the old sandcast and cast-iron mains within the distribution system.



�It just keeps rolling on up there,� Mayor Seyb observed of the components pushing the price tag higher.



The proposed ion exchange treatment system is considered the priority, but the consensus of the council is to keep the old water mains.



�If it ain�t broke, don�t fix it,� one council member said.



That would reduce the $4.63 million cost to $3,337,775.



The council is undecided about the proposed water tower. Rehabilitation of the nearly century-old tower would not increase that tank�s capacity. The proposed new tower would cost about $753,500.



Presenting the BG Consultants report to state and federal agencies that have potential funding � including KDHE, the Kansas Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Agriculture�s rural development program � won�t obligate the council to carry out the full plan, City Clerk Brace told the council.



The city has about 300 water meters and water rates are cheap, according to Brace. It�s expected rates would rise to help pay for the improvements.



High nitrates pose a health risk to infants. The city provides bottled water to pregnant women and newborns up to six months old. Evidence that the nitrate problem is only worsening was found in a February water sample from the city well: Nitrate concentration was 20 milligrams per liter.



The council will take up the water issue again at a special meeting at 7 p.m. June 23.