City of Coweta is well 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 being finished by a contractor by April 1, complete with an exterior paint job.
The water treatment facility and reservoir is also expected to have years-worth of sludge removed by May, she said, five months ahead of schedule.
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Throughout work at both sites, crews also resurrected of the once-retired 75-foot-tall "Tiger Water Tower" across from the high school, adding to the city's capacity by 175,000 gallons. The two water towers seen in downtown Coweta have been out of commission for a number of years and currently function for cellular tower purposes, 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, like brown water flow 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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