Dover gets water grant

DOVER — With the Friday acquisition of water planning grant, Dover residents won’t be running out of the fundamental ingredient for life any time soon.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality awarded Dover the $16,050 grant to partially fund a new drinking water facility plan.

According to Dover Mayor Randy Curless, the city struggled to maintain its water reserves last winter due to Bonnerville Power Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers lowering the water level of Lake Pend Oreille. The reduction in the water level resulted in Dover’s system occasionally pushing dry air into the reserves.

“From what I understand, Bonnerville Power and the Corps of Engineers were lowering the lake level to move water down the river,” Curless said. “That process helped two or three dams generate more electricity.”

But it also drastically reduced Dover’s water reserves. City officials won over the DEQ after demonstrating the number of close calls that occurred during the winter months.

The grant will cover half of the $32,100 project with the city picking up the rest of the tab. Rob Tate of Tate Engineering, located in Coeur d’Alene, will design improvements to the computerized monitoring system, waterline replacement, slow sand filter and surface water intake. The improvements will ensure that Dover remains a well-hydrated community.

“We’re all very relieved to have secured this grant,” Curless said. “The situation with the water reserves was one we don’t want to encounter again.”