JASPER, Tenn.-City officials this week unanimously approved a contract to repair the clear well at the Jasper Water Treatment Plant.
The Jasper Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a $12,400 bid from Martin Concrete Repair Inc. in Hixson to fix the problems with the clear well.
"[The clear well] is where the water is treated and stored before it is pumped out into the system," said Gary Cosby of CTI Engineers Inc. "It's clean water and has to be kept clean. The top [of the clear well] has deteriorated over the years."
Jasper Mayor Billy Simpson said the top of the well has crumbling concrete and significant cracks and is in need of a long-term fix.
After the concrete repair work is completed, the top of the clear well will be covered with a special epoxy, Cosby said.
"It's called flood coating," he said. "It's a coating that comes up about an eighth of an inch thick. It will seal everything in."
Cosby said an examination of the well also revealed some deterioration along its sides. Those areas will be repaired and coated with a similar epoxy product, he said.
"These products are supposed to last 25 to 30 years," he said. "These are long-lasting, high-performance coatings. It's very high strength and has some flexibility to it. It's about the best coating system that you can possibly use on it."
Board members said they want to use the best available materials to complete the repair work so they are confident the job is done right.
"We don't want to have to come in here and do this again," Alderman Steve Looney said.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.