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Cities start to see TAP trickle-down effect photo by Roy Musitelli Talent and Phoenix begin to receive Medford water after $9 million project By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune TALENT - Medford water and new construction are coming to town. Medford Water Commission water has been trickling through the Talent-Ashland-Phoenix intertie into people's homes and should be full blast within the next couple of weeks. "They're actually putting water through the lines now," said project coordinator Pat Foley of Rogue Valley Council of Governments. The $9 million water intertie project joins Phoenix and Talent, and in the future, Ashland, to the Medford water supply. Water supply limitations brought about the intertie project as well as a Talent construction moratorium in 1997. The intertie project includes a main line from Medford to Talent and new million-gallon reservoirs in Phoenix and Talent. Ashland paid to have a larger line installed for later tie-in. "Basically they're getting things up and running at this time," said Foley. "The project hasn't been handed over to the cities yet. " Mario Serra, resident engineer with Montgomery Watson Harza in Portland, said he expects the project to be complete in two weeks. "Talent is getting water through the system right now," he said. "Talent residents should definitely be noticing some difference. (The water) is better quality," he said. Phoenix residents will go on line at the same time. With reservoirs built, lines tested and pumps in place, crews are on their last leg of work, testing the telemetry system. "There's a sensor that senses the water level inside the reservoir," said Serra. "That signal is sent to the regional pump station." The pumps will kick on and start sending water, stopping when the sensor indicates that there is a sufficient water level, he said. Alan Balzer said he's glad to have the intertie project coming on line. "I'm excited about it," said Balzer, a Talent resident since 1998. "I think it raises the value of our homes and our property." He said he and his wife have been buying bottled drinking water since they moved to Talent in 1998 because they didn't like the smell or taste of the water. "We didn't drink the water before," he said. "We're going to now." Mike McAlvage, Talent's city administrator, said that with the completion of the intertie project comes a proposed ordinance that would lift the building moratorium. "We could actually adopt (the ordinance) at the next meeting with an effective date of the 22nd or the 23rd," he said. That means people can apply for building permits once again. "I don't anticipate that we'll have a line out the door," he said. "However, there are some people who have been waiting." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.