Town of Cairo

Water System Improvements

Project Costs:
$3.5 million

Facility Capacity:
300,000 GPD

Delaware Engineering began working with the Town of Cairo in 2008 to address limitations and maintenance issues with their water system. Initial efforts over several years focused on locating another well to expand their supply, but groundwater resources there are limited, and a well could not be developed.

In 2015, planning began for a more comprehensive series of improvements to address other problems with the water system. Based on this work, the Town was in a position in 2016 to take advantage of State and Federal funding initiatives, which will largely pay for more extensive improvements and expansion of the system. Cairo relied on surface water until the mid-1990s, when they began using well water rather than constructing a treatment plant to treat the reservoir water. The limited quantities of groundwater and its often poor quality make the development of additional well water sources very challenging. The option of reverting back to treated surface water is one alternative being considered.

The Cairo Water project includes:
 Comprehensive residential and commercial water metering to account for water, half of which is lost or unaccounted for.
 Hydrologic studies to identify likely water sources and assess the sustainable capacity of those sources.
 Developing additional shallow ground water or surface water supplies to supplement the single well that the entire community now relies on.
 Replacing the old, rusted and leaking water tank.
 Extending service to residential and commercial properties.
 Replacing old, deteriorated cast-iron water mains, hydrants and services which frequently experience significant leaks.