Town water lines will be surveyed

GENEVA — Town officials soon hope to have a better grasp of where the leaks are in water lines.
Council president Dick Clutter along with members James Timmons and Agnes Schoch approved Tuesday night the hiring of M.E. Simpson Co., Inc. to survey about 17 miles of water lines at a cost of $4,500.
The money will come out of the water fund or depreciation fund, town advisor Rob Johnson said.
M.E. Simpson Co., Inc., will use ultrasonic equipment to detect leaks in main lines. The equipment will provide information on the size and scope of leaks and they will be mapped out based on the information gathered.
“For a lack of a better way to explain it, it’s kind of like a doctor using a stethoscope to listen,” said Johnson. “We know we have leaks because we have a large percentage of water we can not attest to.”
He believes the project could help keep money in the town’s coffers.
“If you can stop three water leaks that are big water leaks, that’s less wear and tear you’re going to save on equipment, that’s less water you’ll have to treat, there’ll be less chemicals. Ultimately, for me, it’ll pay for itself,” he said.
Clutter and Timmons agreed with Johnson’s assessment, calling the bid a wise investment.
“I think it’d be money well spent,” Clutter said. “At least we’d know the leaks were. Right now, sometimes you’re just guessing where they are at.”
Officials didn’t say Tuesday when the project would be completed, but Johnson said it would be a two-day process and water isn’t planned to be shut off because of it.
Meanwhile, council passed an ordinance establishing a fund for special local option income tax distributions, which will allow it to allocate and spend the $75,264.82 it received from the state in LOIT monies. Seventy-five percent of the monies must go toward infrastructure needs.
In other business, council:
•Adopted an ordinance establishing thresholds for reporting financial irregularities. The thresholds were set at $500 for cash and $2,000 for non-cash items.
•Passed an ordinance adopting uniform internal control standards.
•Decided that starting in July, it will regularly hold combined Town Council and Works Board/Safety Board meetings on the second Tuesday of the month.
•Heard from Johnson that the new sandbagger should be ready by the next council meeting.
Also heard from Johnson the results of the report of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s April inspection of the wastewater plant. IDEM’s report indicated that reported overflows during times of heavy rainfall are a violation. Johnson informed council of steps taken and being worked on to correct spilling.
•Learned of upcoming events from Pam Krause of Geneva Proud/Geneva Chamber of. Events include a car show and fireworks on June 25.