Albany City Council held its regular monthly meeting last Tuesday evening, Mach 7 with all council members present.

The council spent the first portion of the meeting discussing water pressure issues in the Bald Rock and Duvall Valley areas of eastern Clinton County, and ways to permanently repair the problems with Monarch Engineer David Bowles.

The problem has been ongoing for the past few years, in part due to added residences in the area and the construction of several poultry houses that use much of the city’s water supply, especially in summer months when “spraying” takes place.

Water pressure issues are more prevalent during summer months, as many residents are left with little or no pressure at times.

Bowles told the council that the Bald Rock and Duvall Valley areas have grown and there is not enough water to handle the anticipated further growth, including the poultry houses and extra residential dwellings. He recommended the city consider a long-term water project that would secure water availability for decades to come.

Bowles said Monarch could do a study of the area, put together a plan and cost estimate and present it to the council at their April meeting.

Kenneth Delk, with the Albany Water Department, said the area uses a lot of water, especially during peak summer months and there were at least 40 poultry houses located in that general area. Some estimates are that about half of the water usage from the local water system goes to that area.

Another issue is that several different size lines, anywhere from six inch down to two-inch lines runs in different sections to the Bald Rock and Duvall Valley areas.

Bowles theorized that both a large storage tank along with construction of larger water lines in all directions may be needed to fix the problem permanently. He estimated the total cost would be between $1 and $2 million and if funded, could take up to a couple of years to complete.

The council agreed to have Monarch do a study on such a project, as well as put together a cost estimate and report back to the council next month.

In the meantime, to alleviate the immediate pressure problems some residents are experiencing before the summer months, Albany Mayor Nicky Smith recommended the council declare an emergency situation and go ahead and advertise for bids on a temporary 5,000 storage tank to be put in the area until a long-term fix can be secured.

Councilman Tony Delk noted that the people in that area deserved to have water.

Councilman Leland Hicks made the motion to declare the emergency situation, which passed by unanimous vote.

The mayor also recommended the city purchase new computers and software for the Albany Water Department to replace the old technology that was first installed back in the 1980s. The total cost of the new equipment would be around $40,000. A motion to make the purchase was made by councilman Delk and passed unanimously.

The council also voted 6-0, on a motion by Steve Lawson, to approve a resolution allowing the mayor to apply for grant funds to replace some old fire hydrants and councilman Leland Hicks also questioned whether or not the Albany Fire Department may be interested in selling NOAA weather radios to people who do not have one.

The next regular meeting of Albany City Council is scheduled for April 4.