Dalton Gardens Irrigation District receives $989K grant
Dalton Gardens received a $989,000 Aging Infrastructure Grant from the Idaho Water Resource Board for a pump station and mainline replacement project. That project is expected to cost the city $5,505,200.
The Irrigation District also requested and was approved for a $5.3 million loan at a 5.5% interest rate over 20 years to refurbish its existing transmission mainline by putting in a Cured-in-Place Pipe liner to extend its life.
The 67 Aging Infrastructure Grants were evaluated and scored on a 120-point scale based on criteria such as project details, urgency, public interest, and budget planning and cost-effectiveness.
“These improvements would allow the district to deliver irrigation water to its 724 customers in the irrigation district,” IWRB Executive Manager Brian Patton said in a statement.
This is the third grant the Dalton Irrigation District has received, with the three totaling $3.77 million. Beyond the grant money, the rest of the funding will come from the newly created Local Improvement District to upgrade existing irrigation infrastructure in Dalton Gardens.
“When all three of those grants are combined, they'll work together to reduce the overall project cost to the Local Improvement District assessment,” J-U-B Engineers Project Manager Jon Baune said. “This reduces the cost to everyone.”
When a Dalton Irrigation District operator went to start the system after last winter, they found a broken portion of the pipeline. The broken portion was welded so the pipe could hold pressure, but the grant gives the city funds to offer a more viable, longer-lasting solution instead of fixes here and there.
“There's been a long history of corrosion in the pipeline,” Baune said. “The below-ground infrastructure is effectively corroding from the outside in. On the above-ground side, the cement mortar lining is falling and breaking off on the inside of the transmission mainline.”
Replacing the old pumphouse with a new one is critical to ensuring Dalton Gardens meets its irrigation needs.
“It is the only conduit supplying irrigation water from Lake Hayden to the Dalton Gardens customers,” Baune said. “This preserves the water in the aquifer for potable water. They’re pumping water out of Lake Hayden. It allows irrigation to serve its purpose for grass, their lawns and crops.”
As infrastructure ages, it becomes more susceptible to system failures. By upgrading from the current pumphouse and transmission mainline, Dalton Gardens will no longer risk losing access to irrigated water for residents.
In addition to the pumphouse and transmission mainline, the grant and loan money will also go toward installing new pumps, valves, motors and controls.
“We're really trying to strengthen the system so (the city’s) one single critical supply is modernized,” Baune said. “The irrigation system provides a huge value to the community.”
Transmission Main Interior shows a large cement mortar lining debris spalled off the pipe interior.