Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project awarded Buchanan $22,854 to assist in fixing a hefty leak.
"The Town was losing 100,000 gallons of water per day and the pumps were constantly running," said Mayor Tom Middlecamp. "They came from Buena Vista with special equipment he said that pinpointed the site of the two leaks near the Old Castle Lawn and Garden property."
Initiated in the 1960’s, the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project helps small rural towns and communities needing aid in upgrading their water and wastewater systems for capacity building and economic development in their communities. Funding is made available to low-income communities in the form of grants and loans to rehabilitate housing, build water and wastewater infrastructure, assist small business development and finance development projects of small rural governments. With its central office in Roanoke, Virginia, Southeast RCAP serves the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. To date, they have brought clean water and wastewater facilities to more than 450,000 residents.
The Town of Buchanan requested assistance with emergency water repairs and improvements to the Town’s fire hydrants. Mayor Tom Middlecamp said that “the Town discovered a major leak in the Town’s water supply line serving the oldest section of Town as well as two local industries. Around 100,000 gallons of water a day was being lost at this site.” Around the same time, Virginia Rural Water Circuit Rider Ken Koffman completed a study that indicated “The 5 fire hydrants serving downtown had insufficient water flow making them obsolete.” Koffman’s study indicated that the Town needed to remove the five existing hydrants due to insufficient flow and replace them with adequate hydrants. The total cost of the emergency repairs and replacement of fire hydrants cost the Town $55,710.00.
The $22,854.00 grant covered 91 percent of the cost to repair the emergency leak. The completed repairs are resulting in less water being used, reduced energy consumption to operate the Town’s Water Plant while providing improved water service and fire protection to our local industry, businesses and residents.
The Town’s repairs consisted of installing 400’ of 6” CL 350 Ductile Iron Pipe and one 6” Gate Valve at the site loosing 100,000 gallons of water a day, and, the removal and capping of five old fire hydrants along Main Street while extending 400’ of 6” CL 350 Ductile Iron Pipe from Lowe Street to Main Street, installing one 6” x 6” Wet Tap and two 6” Gate Valves and Boxes to create 3 new fire hydrants on Main Street.
In order to keep water flowing to Town residents and businesses before the repairs were made, the pumps had to run at full speed to keep up with the 100,000 gallons of water being lost every day. Town Water Department employee Gary Chapman said “the pumps at Carson Hill were running twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in an effort to keep filling Boblett’s Tank at the top of Seventeenth Street. These pumps were barely able to keep the parameters at 26. Since the repairs, the pumps run approximately four hours a day and are maintaining parameters of 29 to 31 feet with no problems.” The first repair to the Town’s waterline eliminated a leak that was loosing 100,000 gallons a day. Since replacing this line, the Town’s water system is operating more efficiently, saving water, reducing energy costs associated with motors running to replace that lost water and providing adequate water service and pressure to Carmeuse Lime and Stone – James River Company and Oldcastle Lawn and Garden. These two industries collectively employ 84 area residents. This repair also enabled the Town to install a fire hydrant to serve the two industries where no fire protection was provided before. The second repair to the Town’s waterlines enabled the Town to replace fire hydrants along Main Street that were more than fifty years old. This replacement enables the Town to provide adequate fire protection to the downtown business district and adjacent residential neighborhood that includes 48 businesses, 5 churches and 30 homes.
As operational costs increase across the board, the ability to find financial assistance through grants is important to the Town so that they can reduce operational expenses of providing water and sewer to the Town’s residents and businesses. As the Town prepares its operational budget each year it keeps in mind the Town’s demographics. The 1999 U.S. Census Data indicates that the Town of Buchanan consists of 1,233 residents. Twenty percent of the Town’s population is over 65 years of age, and the Median household income is $32,500, the Median family income is $37,433 and the Per capita income is $16,238. Wage and salary income reflect income disparity with statewide figures with the wage and salary mean in the Town of Buchanan as 62 percent of the state figure. There are 25 families living below the poverty level and 131 individuals living below the poverty level. Any time that the Town can improve the quality of services and reduce wastes and costs of service is of benefit to all of the Town’s residents, businesses and industries. With limited incomes, grants provided by agencies like the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc help the Town obtain its goal to provide services at affordable rates.
Middlecamp said he also sent a letter of commendation to the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Program and one to Rep. Bob Goodlatte for Congress having the forethought to help rural communities with funding for programs like SRCAP.
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