Meeker Town Administrator Dickie Walton believes the Quapaw 15 project, which is raising the Meeker Lake dam, is close to moving dirt.
Town officials also hope the project leads to the lake being the source of the town’s water supply and Walton thinks that will happen.
“We’ve done our due diligence,” Walton said.
“We’ve had several meetings with Valerie Glasgow, federal engineer and Wade Helm and Dennis Fowler from the Chandler Soil Conservation Service,” Walton stated.
“A company, Terracon, came down and took six core samples. They took those back to Oklahoma City and tested for soil quality and compaction,” Walton said.
Walton said the soil will be used for eight to 10 feet of additional dirt used in raising the dam.
“Next, we went out there and the town dug out the blind gate valve. A subcontractor had to be chosen to take that valve and 24-inch pipe apart so the camera could inspect the inside of that pipe.
“The pipe goes through the dam all the way out into the lake to the water control tower,” Walton explained.
He noted that a visual inspection of the outside pipe was done by the Soil Conservation Service and Glasgow and her team. “They said the outside of the pipe looked fine,” he added.
“If we get a good inspection on the inside of the pipe it will save us $100,000,” he stressed, adding, “So we wouldn’t have to replace the pipe.”
The estimated $7.8 million project is totally funded by state and federal monies.
State Rep. Kevin Wallace, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, secured the town’s match of $2.3 million, Walton said.
The remaining $5.5 million is coming from the federal government.
Walton said in addition to the $2.3 million, Wallace has secured another $1 million to assist with anything else needed on the project.
In order to use the lake as the town’s water source, Walton pointed out, “We’ll have to build a water treatment plant. The state estimates that it will cost $6 million and it may coincide with construction of the dam.”
He said state funds will pay for the water treatment plant.