Final Price: $20 million Location: Nicholas, Fayette and Summers County Duration: since 1989 Purpose: Provide safe, reliable water for the citizens of Nicholas, Fayette and Summers Counties

The recent economic stimulus package has seriously impacted the Gauley River Public Service District Summersville Water Extension Project. The three phase project will serve 585 potential customers in Nicholas County, WV, including Zela Elementary School, one of the few schools in West Virginia without public water service, as well as serving to support area water regionalization. Prior to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the timeframe for complete construction of the Summersville Water Extension project was estimated at 4-5 years, best case scenario. Instead, stimulus funding through USDA Rural Development will allow the construction of each new phase to begin in rapid succession, possibly even before completion of the previous one. This will mean full completion of all phases of the project within three years at most.

The Gauley River Public Service District Summersville Water Extension begins in the City of Summersville, traveling down WV State Route 39 to the existing endpoint of District water service at Drennen, WV. Upon completion of all three phases, the existing Gauley River system will be connected to the regional water treatment facility at Summersville, providing greater reliability of the District's water source, as well as laying the foundation for further regionalization in the future. The second phase of construction also includes an interconnection with Wilderness Public Service District, providing bulk water for a potential 400 customers within their boundaries.

In total, all three phases of the Summersville Water Project will include an anticipated 137,000 linear feet of water lines (ranging from 10 inch to 2 inch), a 260,000 gallon water storage tank, a master meter with the City of Summersville, three (3) pressure reducing stations, and all related appurtenances. 122,000 linear feet of the total will be lines larger than six inches in diameter.

The three phases of the project will require a total funding package of $9,950,000. Phase 1 funding has been secured from the WV Development Office Small Cities Block Grants and USDA- Rural Development, and Phase 2 funding has been secured from USDA-Rural Development through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.