BONNERS FERRY — A new water filling station is expected to be installed in the heart of the city after the Bonners Ferry City Council approved a $35,250 purchase for the unit. 

In a letter to the council, city staff said the previous bulk water system was in an area that wasn’t ideal and was out of view of city staff, among other issues. The system was removed in December. 

“The one we took down, it had a number of things kind of wrong with it,” Rosengrant said. “The flow — it was very easy for a customer to use it and fill a truck and then shut it way too quickly, which can cause a lot of damage to the system.” 

“We also couldn’t really sell bulk water through it during the winter just because of the way it was built,” Rosengrant said. “It would just freeze.”

The new unit can run year-round. 

“It’s got an internal heater, so we can basically sell water pretty much year-round and not have to worry about it freezing up,” Rosengrant said. 

The old system also made it difficult to track who was using the system and if everyone was paying for the water. 

“The way that the old one worked is a customer could go into City Hall and request to get bulk water and they would be given the code because it was just a padlock and a numerical padlock,” Rosengrant said. 

“We kind of suspected that what was happening is one guy would get the code and then write it down and then it would be shared amongst a bunch of other people.” 

Payment is expected to be much more secure for the new unit. 

“We’re hoping how it’s going to work is you’ll be able to go to City Hall and set up a customer account and you’ll be assigned a PIN number,” Rosengrant said. “When you need to go get water, you can use that PIN number and enter it and you’ll be given water. You can take as much as you want and then you’ll get a monthly statement.”  

The station will also have the option for Visa payments. 

There were three different options, but the one chosen by the council was the least expensive. Rosengrant said he spoke to staff in Soda Springs and Hailey, Idaho and Pacific, Wash., who have used the unit. Their feedback was a key factor in the decision. 

“They all liked it,” Rosengrant said. “They all had really great things to say about it.” 

There is currently one operating station next to the skate park in downtown Bonners Ferry. 

“There are a lot of people that live in the county who kind of depend on that thing for water and we’re really aware of that need,” Rosengrant said. “It’s a service that we’re happy to provide.” 

The new system will be versatile, allowing for different discharge amounts. 

“It has two different discharge points,” Rosengrant said. “It has a two-inch discharge which will get around 200 gallons a minute and then it has a three-quarter-inch discharge which can get up to probably 35 gallons a minute.” 

The city will save money because the installation work will be done in-house. Rosengrant said hiring a company for installation could have cost more than the price of the station. 

“As far as the installation process, we’re basically doing that all ourselves,” Rosengrant said. “We’re trying to save money where we can.” 

Having a second station is also expected to decrease wait times, as it can take up to 10 or 15 minutes to fill water. The new system is also expected to improve health safety. 

“Built into this unit, it has a backflow preventer,” Rosengrant said. “That’s a big plus because the whole threat of cross contamination and backflow, that’s a big one in the water world.”