The city of Poplar Bluff plans to drill a new well on Alice Street pending a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, according to City Manager Matt Winters. The project has been in development and planning for over six years.
The city selected Smith and Company Engineers in December to complete the project if the grant is approved.
The well would serve as an emergency backup to the primary water source at the Black River. Winters stated this would be needed in the event of river contamination, damage to the city’s water plant, or several other ecological disasters. He asserts that the new well, as designed, could handle the entirety of Poplar Bluff’s water needs.
The city submitted a letter of interest to FEMA under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The agency reviewed Poplar Bluff’s letter and invited the city to submit a full application.
Winters stated that few proposals make it to this second stage. The city continues to work with the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission on writing and refining the grant.
Smith and Company Engineers completed a Preliminary Engineering Report on the well and found that construction would cost $1.3 million. If approved, the project would be eligible for 75% coverage by FEMA. The remaining 25% would need to be funded by Municipal Utilities.
Project Manager Greg Bell of Smith and Co. said that no work will be completed beyond the preliminary report until the grant is approved. He does not anticipate any engineering challenges
“I think we have a pretty good chance,” Winters expressed.
He hopes to hear back from FEMA in late spring or early summer.