City of Coweta is on its way to fixing past water quality issues in the long term, its city manager told 2 News on March 18.
"The biggest (improvement project) that's going on right now is our Skyview water tower, which is our main water source," City Manager Julie Casteen said.
WATCH: Coweta official: Water tower work to improve quality well ahead of schedule:
The third-year city official refers to the 38-year-old 1.5 million-gallon tower north of town's modernization project. A contractor is finishing the work by April 1, complete with an exterior paint job.
The water treatment facility and reservoir are also expected to have years' worth of sludge removed by May, she said, five months ahead of schedule.
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Throughout their work at both sites, crews also resurrected the once-retired 75-foot-tall "Tiger Water Tower" across from the high school, adding 175,000 gallons to the city's capacity.
The two water towers in downtown Coweta went out of commission years ago and now serve as cellular towers, though Casteen said the land they sit on could be sold in the coming years.
"The main problem for what was happening (with past water issues) is there was just a lot of deferred maintenance," Casteen said in reference to the time before she took over as city manager. "Things weren't being done as they should've been on a regular schedule."
Manager Jennie Hoover at The Hair Station of Coweta said her business survived several of the water woes in recent years that 2 News reported on, such as brown water and boil orders.
"We have had to call the city and be like, 'Is it okay to wash hair?'" Hoover said.
However, Hoover said all the changes bring relief to businesses like hers.
"We use a lot of water here. So yeah, I'm hoping everything can get to where everyone can trust them," she said.
>>>Extended interview: Coweta city manager Julie Casteen answers on water quality future
"If it turns out these projects don't do what we think they're going to do, there's other options we can look at - very expensive options," Casteen added. "But if it gets down to that, we will do it. We're fully committed to bringing the water quality up to where it should be."
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