Marlin makes progress on $10 million grant to improve water and drainage systems

Marlin makes progress on grant to improve water systems(Ally Kadlubar)
Published: Jan. 26, 2023 at 12:56 PM CST

MARLIN, Texas (KWTX) - Marlin residents could soon start seeing progress of a multi-million dollar grant awarded to the city four years ago to improve murky water, corroded pipes and flooding in the city.

Residents continue to raise concerns about Marlin’s water and drainage systems.

“Water taste is horrible due partly to infrastructure,” Sam Musia, a former resident who grew up in Marlin, said. “Pipes are old and probably very corroded. When I graduated from high school there in 1962, water was good. Now, most people have to buy drinking water.”

Marlin City Manager Cedric Davis said the city was established over 150 years ago; therefore, he was not

“Our water is some of the best around, but, once you get into some of the piping in the city, because like the city is old, so some of that we have mixed piping,” Davis said.

In an effort to fix the water issues, in 2019, the city was awarded a $10.8 million grant from the Texas Water Development Board to improve the water treatment plant, water distribution system, drainage system and water quality of the pond, but, the pandemic stalled major progress on the projects.

“Because you had so many of our governmental agencies that were not working in office, they worked from home, so there was delay in getting approvals from Texas Water Development Board,” Marlin Mayor Carolyn Lofton said.

In October 2022, Davis said the city received an additional $2.9 million to assist with the drainage project.

In a city council meeting Wednesday night, members discussed the progression of the water treatment plant project. The contractor awarded the project through bidding, B-5 Construction, will start construction within the next few weeks pending a pre-construction meeting, according to Davis.

“We’re still waiting on TCQ to prove our nanostones, which we are very close, we’re just waiting for the green light to go there, and, if you’re familiar with any of the filtration system, nanostones are about 20 year lifespan for a filter, whereas the ones that we’re using now, we’re changing out every three, maybe five years. So that’s going to benefit the clarity of the water long term.

Another project under the water treatment of the city is improving water lines and hydrants. The designs and documents for that project has been approved. Within the next few weeks, the city will discuss bidding for contractors.

The city also discussed the progress of the city’s drainage system as rain continues to cause flooding in the area.

“By increasing the size of the drainage lines underneath, that’s going to be able to pull more water out, and, as it pulls that water out, it’s going to send that water out to our city park and then on out to the Brazos River,” Lofton said.

In the meeting, civil engineer company, MRB Group, said they expect to have plans ready to get approval from Texas Water Development Board by Friday. After it is approved, it will follow same steps as the other projects and go through bidding, pre-construction and construction phases.

Restoring the water quality of the pond in the Marlin City Park is another phase of the grant.

“We’re still waiting for the Corps of Engineers to go out and approve us to clean the pond in the park,” Lofton said.

This grant is just one of the several other grants awarded to the city to benefit Marlin and its residents.

“It’s time that our citizens receive some of those things that they’ve been wanting for so many decades that they have not gotten,” Davis said. “That’s the excitement for me. I’m pretty sure it’s the same as for the mayor, so we got a lot going on, economic development wise. It’s just a good time to be in Martin because a lot of things taking place.”