MERIDIAN — Rep. Chet Edwards visited Meridian on Saturday to salute the completion of the Meridian-Clifton water pipeline.

“This is a great example of cities and people working together for the future,” said Edwards.

“For Meridian it means an adequate water supply for the future and for Clifton it means some revenue to help support the reservoir,” he added.

Edwards stressed the importance of water to both homes and businesses, saying that he hopes that this project sets a model for other cities to use.

“It is a great investment for the future,” said Edwards, “I commend the leadership in both Clifton and Meridian for the sacrifices that have been made for the future.”

Mayor Jeff Keese of Meridian said to Edwards, “It would not have been possible without your help.”

“The idea came from right here, not from Washington,” said Edwards. It was a grassroots decision and since the government is responsible for helping with infrastructure, I am proud that we could support this project.”

“It is a tough day to convince people that we need water,” added Edwards with a laugh at the rain pouring down outside the pavilion.

“Sometimes we take for granted the things that are most important,” said Edwards, “and water does not come from a faucet without help.”

Mayor Keese said that he feels the project has set the foundation for Meridian to grow, adding that it doubles the output of water for the city of Meridian.

During the visit, Edwards also noted that a bill has just passed that will set a new project for the North Bosque River, for private property owners to work with the Corps of Engineers to plant grasses and make mini-wetland areas to filter the water.

The first year, there is a start grant from the government of $100,000 to get the project going.

This project will respect the private property rights, and it will work as a partnership for those who want to help clean the river basin, it was noted.

In closing, Edwards congratulated everyone on the pipeline project, and the smooth completion of the project.

Background to the Project

In 1985, it was first publicly announced that the ground water levels in Bosque County were declining.

In 1986, the City of Clifton voted to forfeit half of its Lake Whitney water in favor of the “planned” Lake Bosque water, an idea that died before it could become an actuality.

Over the years, many ideas were formed, some including other cities in Bosque County, and some concerning only the separate cities, working on their own, to make sure there was water for the future.

By 1998, under the then leadership of Mayor Truman Blum, the City of Clifton had decided to build its own reservoir, using a percentage of the Bosque River water allocated to the city, and completed a surface-water dam on the river. By February 1999, Clifton had completed the pump station and lines to the under-construction reservoir and water tower.

On Saturday, March 31, 2001, at the dedication of the Clifton Surface Water Project, Craig Pederson, executive administrator of the Texas Water Development Board said, “The Clifton surface water project sets a wonderful example for the rest of the state.”

In May 2002, the Clifton City Council unanimously approved a “memorandum of understanding” between the cities of Clifton and Meridian under the then-leadership of Mayor W. Leon Smith of Clifton and Jess Taylor of Meridian. The document provided the intent of the three parties, Meridian, Clifton, and the Brazos River Authority, to develop an effective solution that benefits the citizens of both cities.

According to the engineers who built the Clifton treatment facility, it was designed, in the first phase, to be able to provide some regional water treatment.

Following the memorandum of understanding, it was up to the BRA (on behalf of Meridian) and the City of Clifton to come up with a final plan that would work to the benefit of both cities, and the future of water for the citizens of both cities.

With both of the cities having rights to the water of the Bosque River,  the final agreement drawn up meant that Clifton would simply be drawing the water from the river, to the reservoir and treatment plant, then a pump owned by the City of Meridian would be used to move the water through the pipeline to the City of Meridian.

By 2003, Representative Chet Edwards had obtained an EPA grant to Bosque County for the Bosque County Water Transmission Pipeline project, along with a second grant for the purchase of the pump that would deliver the water to Meridian.

During the following years, agreements concerning the ownership and operating rights of the pump, the grant money division, and an inter-local agreement between Clifton and Meridian were drawn up and signed.  Last spring, Clifton granted Meridian easement rights for the pump-house site and for the pipeline to Meridian.

On Tuesday, July 1, 2008, years of planning and lots of rocky roads were put behind the City of Meridian, as it officially hosted a groundbreaking for a water pipeline to run between the cities of Clifton and Meridian.

After years of debate and a multitude of different ideas on how to assure water for the future, Meridian and Clifton are working together to bring water to Meridian.

On hand for the groundbreaking were the mayors of both Meridian and Clifton, Mayor Jeff Keese and Mayor Raymond Zuehlke; U.S. Representative Chet Edwards, Meridian Mayor Pro-Tem Johnnie Hauerland, Bosque County Judge Cole Word, along with Dean Crenshaw of the Texas Water Development Board, former Meridian Mayors Fuzz Spitzer and Jess Taylor, along with Cliftons City Administrator Charles McLean and the former Administrator Jerry Golden.