FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACTS: Keith Thomason (Rend Lake Conservancy District)
October 4, 2016 (618) 439-4321
Rend Lake Water Main Bypass Dedication
Tuesday, 10/18/2016 at 1:30 pm
Rend Lake Golf Course - Banquet Room
12476 Golf Course Road, Whittington, IL 62897
Community leaders are holding a dedication ceremony at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at the Rend Lake Golf Course – Banquet Room for a recently completed construction project known as the "Rend Lake Water Main Bypass".U.S. Representative, Mike Bost will be honored for his support and will be attending the event.
Rend Lake Conservancy District provides drinking water to over 170,000 people in 5 counties in southern Illinois. The District recently completed a reliability project that received a grant of $1.3 million from Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The Multi-Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and administrated by the State. The bypass was constructed to mitigate the risk of a pipe failure of a water main that crosses under Rend Lake from an earthquake.
In 1968, before the completion of the Rend Lake Dam a section of water main that serves Jefferson County was constructed through an area that is now flooded by the lake. The Rend Lake Conservancy District Board of Trustees and management identified this section of pipe as a potential point of failure that would have catastrophic affects to over 39,000 people. The District’s concern was for the pipe’s vulnerability to a major earthquake and the emergency response to divert water through a temporary water main as repairs are being made to the pipe under the lake. Rend Lake Conservancy District General Manager, Keith Thomason proposed a bypass around the lake to ensure the uninterrupted flow of drinking water to Jefferson County. Franklin and Jefferson County Emergency Management Agencies as well as Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission were instrumental in obtaining hazard mitigation grant funding for this project.
“This was a critical project for Rend Lake Conservancy District and we appreciate IEMA’s and FEMA’s support, said Keith Thomason, General Manager of Rend Lake Conservancy District.
“This project exemplifies how regional planning and counties’ collaborating can benefit the citizens and businesses in southern Illinois. Greater Egypt is pleased to have had a role in this project’s success”, said Cary Minnis, Executive Director of Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission.
“This project was a high priority for Jefferson County. We are glad our hazard mitigation planning and support helped make this project successful”, said Steve Lueker, County Coordinator of Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.
###