AVALON – Borough Engineer Thomas Thornton has presented the Borough Council with a 256-page draft of a 10-year water system master plan that recommends $43 million in infrastructure investments over that time period.

The goal of the plan, presented Dec. 18, is to identify the short- and long-range capital projects that will allow the borough to continue to provide a water supply that is safe, reliable and economical, and adequate to meet projected needs. The system must also meet all federal, state and local requirements.

The draft document deals with 6,400 water meter accounts, two elevated storage tanks, five deepwater production wells and roughly 43 miles of distribution infrastructure.

At the center of the document is a 10-year capital spending plan that outlines recommended investments that total $43 million over the decade. That figure excludes the state-mandated lead service line program for which the borough has already imposed a temporary surcharge.

Suggested projects include the rehabilitation of the borough’s two water tanks, generator installation at three wells, fire-flow improvements and the interconnection of the 22^nd and 24^th street water mains.

The plan also includes exploration of funding sources both in terms of grants and low or even zero-percent loans from sources like the state I-bank.

The document recommends that the borough develop a basis of design for future water main upgrades. Establishing a boroughwide standard, the document says, “would ensure that all future water main replacements are sized appropriately” for the future desired level of service.

Each project in the capital plan is detailed, with a summary of its need and its associated costs.

The project to develop the plan included the development of a digital model that allows the borough to take demand data and project growth out to 2034. Thornton said those projects show the borough having room for growth within the constraints of its state water allocation permit, which sets limits on the amount of water that can be extracted.

Thornton noted that even though Avalon is completely built out, growth in water usage comes from the building of larger homes with larger water demands.

According to Business Administrator Scott Wahl, the report makes clear why “water supply will be a high priority for the borough in the coming decade.”

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.