MORGANTOWN — Rain, be dammed.
Well, that’s the plan anyway — if the weather would just cooperate.
During a brief Tuesday meeting, Morgantown Utility Board General Manager Mike McNulty said weather will largely determine if contractor Kanawha Stone can hit a critical milestone in the construction of the new Cobun Creek dam.
McNulty said the earthen dam is inching toward its final height, but time is running out.
“They are hoping, if weather is cooperative, to get up there by Thanksgiving, but I don’t know that they’ll be able to make it. There’s a lot of earth to put in,” he said.
Assistant GM and Chief Engineer Jim Fetty reiterated the importance of getting the dam to final height this construction season in order to allow winter to eat into what can be up to a 300-day settlement period.
If substantial earth work on the dam remains in the spring, there is potential that settlement period could stretch on toward 2023.
“Hopefully not, but there is that risk if we don’t get up high enough this year,” Fetty said, adding “We’re just hoping for good weather these next two months.”
In April 2020, MUB anticipated winter 2021 as the overall project completion window. A short time later, it was adjusted as estimates put the project as much as a year behind schedule.
In January, MUB pushed the completion date to June 2022, and put Kanawha Stone on the hook for all engineering costs tied to the delay.
The $50 million dam, reservoir and pipeline project was funded through rate increases for MUB customers in 2016, as were $100 million in upgrades to the utility’s Star City wastewater treatment plant.
McNulty said the treatment plan project is about 98% finished and final completion is expected in spring 2022.
“The asphalt wearing course is being installed. They’re painting and doing some renovation on the return-activated sludge building. They’re working on startup of digester number three and getting ready to start draining digester number two for its rehab,” McNulty said. “So they’re making progress.”
Tuesday’s meeting was the first for new board member Erik Carlson, who serves as Vice President of Economic Development Services for the Morgantown Area Partnership.
Carlson fills the seat vacated by Sarah Cayton. Cayton recently resigned the position for personal reasons after serving since January 2020.
Lastly, it was announced that Fetty, who’s been with MUB for the last 10 years, will retire at the end of the year.
McNulty said Rich Rogers will become the utility’s chief engineer and assistant general manager.
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