Batesville To Construct New Water Pipeline From Brookville

Monday, August 19, 2019 at 7:36 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Batesville will soon get better drinking water from a Whitewater River aquifer.

(Batesville, Ind.) - A 17-mile water pipeline will be constructed from the Whitewater River to Batesville.

The Franklin County Observer newsletter reports that the City of Batesville is building the pipeline from a new wellfield near the river in Brookville. The wellfield is located near the Franklin County Water Association’s wellfield.

Advertising for bids is expected to begin this week. The project is expected to be completed about 18 months after the contract is awarded.

Franklin County Commissioners are in discussions with the city’s contactor to see that cuts made in county roads while the pipeline is installed will be covered. In all, 15 roads will have to be cut or bored beneath as the water line is installed.

In his 2019 State of the City address, Batesville Mayor Mike Bettice included an update on the city’s Long Term Water Project, saying the water from Franklin County’s aquifer will provide higher quality water and the capacity to be prepared for several more decades. He said the city’s current water capacity is about two million gallons per day, but current demand is between 1.2 and 1.8 million gallons per day.