State lawmakers are making a field trip this week, and Ely will be one of their stops.
Members of the House Capital Investment Committee will be in town to consider and get a closer look at the city of Ely’s request for just over $3.9 million in state bonding money for its water supply improvement project.
In advance of a potential bonding bill next year, legislators are touring the state to learn more about various projects and hear sales pitches of sorts from community leaders.
The Ely session is set for late Wednesday afternoon on the Vermilion campus of Minnesota North College.
Ely leaders have already made the water line project their top priority, enlisted the support of State Rep. Roger Skraba (R-Ely) and lobbied Capital Investment Co-Chair State Rep. Mary Franson.
But Wednesday’s visit gives them the opportunity to spread the word further and enlist more support in advance of the 2026 legislative session.
“I think this sets the stage for what projects will be considered,” said Harold Langowski, the city’s clerk-treasurer and operations director. “We don’t know what the governor will do but typically he has a pretty robust bonding request.”
Langowski added that “Roger is supporting the project and Chair Franson of the bonding committee, we met with her and she seemed very supportive and said this is exactly the infrastructure the state needs to support. So there’s two Republicans in favor.”
At issue is a project that impacts the city’s sole source of drinking water.
City officials say replacing the infrastructure is needed to ensure the reliability of water supply to the city of Ely not only for domestic use, but fire protection as well.
The city’s water pump house, intake structure and intake line were originally constructed in 1932, nearly a century ago, and the line runs about 25,000 linear feet from Burntside Lake to the city’s water plant located in the northwest corner of the city.
In most areas, the water line was buried less than four feet deep, but where the line crosses the rivers and other wetlands the lines are exposed or have very little insulation.
The wooden bridges that support the open water crossings were last updated in 1970, and since then the bridges have become structurally unsound with deteriorated cross beams and pilings.
Exposed sections of water line have connecting hardware that has experienced corrosion, and the water intake structure in Burntside Lake also has significant corrosion and is in need of repair.
Multiple leaks have occurred along the water line due to movement during the winter months because of the lack of insulation and minimal depth at which the line was buried.
When the line leaks, the city must respond as an emergency situation given it’s the only source of water, using anywhere from 600,000 to a million gallons a day.
The city proposes improving the intake structure and piping, as well as pump house improvements.
This will include a new pump, automated controls, remote access and monitoring and providing adequate capacity in case of a water main emergency requiring additional flow.
The existing cast iron pipe is also beyond its design life and requires replacement. Because of wetlands and river crossings, city officials say it’s nearly impossible during most of the year to access sections of the line.
To provide a more resilient supply, the bridges would be replaced with 3,300 lineal feet of directionally bored high-density polyethylene water line beneath the rivers and wetlands at an adequate depth to protect against freezing and frost damage. The remaining 22,000 linear feet of cast iron water main will be replaced by open trenching methods.
The city has secured $2.9 million in funds for the project including $2.5 million in low-interest loans from the MN Public Facilities Authority.
There remains a $3.9 million gap, and efforts to obtain federal funding have stalled.
The city was hoping for $2 million in congressionally directed spending and had submitted a request to the Army Corps of Engineers.
But the status of both requests is murky at best and city officials say their cost to do the project is rising as time goes by.
“If it doesn’t get funded, it just pushes up the cost,” said Langowski. “It’s kind of the most critical need for a community, adequate water supply. My concern has always been that this is an old line.”
