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Gold Hill water system gets boost from grant GOLD HILL -- City residents can expect improved water pressure and quality this summer after the city received a $695,137 grant from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department. Most of the grant will be used to replace 4-inch water mains that are old and undersized on Sixth Avenue, First Street and Fourth Avenue, said Royal Gasso, public works director. The new, 6-inch pipes will be looped. "This will definitely improve the water quality," Gasso said. "Water will remain fresh and not stay in some of these dead-end lines where it used to collect and become discolored because of the iron in the old pipes," Gasso said. The new water system also will improve the city's capacity to deliver water, which is a seasonal issue. In the summer, when demand for water is high, residents experience low pressure. "In the winter, everybody has great pressure, but when everybody tries to use the water all at once, like they do in the summer, there's not enough," Gasso said. The grant will pay for new equipment at the water treatment plant as well as engineering and consulting fees. About $15,000 will be used to hire a grant administrator. Gold Hill applied for the grant in 1995 and received $50,000 to engineer and design the water system improvements. The city had to complete a water master plan and raise water rates to meet state averages before the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department would award the remainder of the grant. Gold Hill will seek bids for the construction project next month. "We've been waiting for this grant for three years," Gasso said. "We had to raise our water rates to the state minimum average to get this grant. All those people who had to pay increased rates are now going to benefit from this $695,000 grant." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA