Construction on a water system improvement project for the Flathead County Water District 101, servicing the Columbia Heights area, began in front of the Ol’ River Bridge Inn on March 10.

The project is the main component in a series of overhauls, aimed to create a water system compliant with Public Water Supply regulations, that began after the district took it over from private ownership in 2016, said Harold Herman, president of the district’s water board.

The system was constructed in the 1940s and gradually expanded, piecemeal, until the 1970s where it has remained untouched since. It now serves around 90 accounts — 68 residential and 22 commercial — a number that has been fairly constant over the last few decades, Herman noted.

Throughout its lifespan the system has exhibited major deficiencies, according to a summary report by A2Z Engineering, the project’s designer. Insufficiencies have included minimal water pressure, leaky mains located too close to septic systems, unlined water storage tanks with cracks that leave vulnerabilities to bacterial contamination, and water lines clogged by deposits of iron and manganese.

The ideal recommendation by A2Z Engineering of replacing every component of the system was determined cost prohibitive for the small neighborhood. The district has settled on a preferred alternative that will replace some components and maintain others with longevity-extending upgrades.

The project, undertaken by Columbia Falls-based contractor T-5 Services, will include replacing inadequate 2-inch main with 7,000 feet of 8-inch main line, replacing well and distribution tank pumps, adding water meters and fire hydrants, and cleaning and lining storage tanks, Herman said.

Funding for the $1.2 million project was secured half through a grant from the Rural Development Program and the rest through a 40-year loan, said Shane Pierson, the district’s general manager and water operator.

The district implemented a water-usage rate, newly possible due to added meters, and slight increases in water fees at levels that will hopefully begin to generate revenue so when system replacements are needed in the future, “we won’t have to go through the borrowing process again,” said Pierson.

T-5 Services hopes to have the project completed within a couple months, said owner John Toftum.

“But it depends on what we find in the ground,” he said.