The Rapid City Public Works Committee put its stamp of approval on two initiatives Tuesday, setting the stage for a possible final approval by the city council at its July 7 meeting.

The first initiative includes two major water projects - the construction of a new water-treatment facility at Jackson Springs and the reconstruction or replacement of the water-treatment plant at Mountain View.

Public Works committee members reviewed conceptual design plans from consultants Burns, McDonnell and Ferber Engineering for upgrades at the existing water-treatment facility, as well as conceptual design plans for the new facility at Jackson Springs.

Jackson Springs, in an area west of Canyon Lake near Cleghorn Springs Fish Hatchery, historically has provided more than half of the city's water but was closed in 2005 after the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources determined that surface water there was infiltrating groundwater.

After conducting a comprehensive study of the city's water systems in 2006, the engineering firm recommended building a new water-treatment plant at Jackson Springs at a cost of $35 million to $40 million as well as improving or replacing the city's existing water-treatment plant, at a cost of $55 milllion to $60 million.

Mayor Alan Hanks said pending approval by the city council, the joint roject will be the "single largest in Rapid City history."

"We need to treat the surface water at Jackson Springs," Hanks said Wednesday. "And there haven't been any major improvements to the Mountain View facility in 35 years."

Hanks said the fact that Rapid City is a regional water provider to areas including Rapid Valley, Box Elder and Ellsworth Air Force Base makes these projects even more important.

"Almost everyone around us depends on the city of Rapid City for clean water," said Hanks.

Alderman Lloyd LaCroix, chairman of the public works committee, said in an e-mail that the city has several funding options for the projects including state and federal grants, revenue bonds and private financing.

LaCroix said the city is looking to federal and state grant programs as its primary source of funding for the projects because "these sources will provide the city the most favorable terms and have the smallest impact on the city's rate payers."

If the city council approves the projects, Hanks said the formal planning and design process would begin "as soon as possible," with the Jackson Springs facility being built first. LaCroix said construction on the new plant could begin in early 2010.

On Tuesday, the public works committee also approved the final report and recommendations of the floodplain development policy committee.

The floodplain committee was formed in August 2007 to address the level of development in the floodplain along Rapid Creek. It comprises planning commission members, city council members and survivors of the 1972 flood.

After months of reviewing and discussing the city's existing policy, the committee voted in May to send its recommendations to the city council.

The committee did not call for a ban on development; instead, their recommendations focused on acquiring private property along the floodplain and adopting more stringent development standards for these areas.

A complete list of the recommendations is available to the public by clicking on the floodplain development committee information link on the city's Web site, www.rcgov.org.

Contact Andrew Gorder at andrew.gorder@rapidcityjournal.com