The Mount Vernon City Council was advised it could save more than $1.5 million over the next 40 years by continuing to treat its own water.

The figures were from a City Treated Water vs. Purchased Treated Water study done by KSA Engineers of Longview. Earlier, council members considered buying treated water from the Cypress Springs Special Utility District.

Bala Vairavan, an engineer with KSA, presented the findings of the study. Even with a projected $5.6 million in improvements needed between now and 2050, the company projects lower and more controlled costs with the city continuing to treat its own water.

The study took a look at both the city’s current freshwater treatment plant and the plants operated by the Cypress Springs SUD. The study showed that average annual operating costs for the city plant is $411,420, compared to $660,930 for the SUD.

“Cheaper to keep her,” retorted Councilwoman Darlene Hatcher, quoting the title of a song by Johnnie Taylor released in 1997. “I’m saying even with the expense and projected costs to the city,  this report tells me it is going to be cheaper to keep the water treatment service in-house,” she added. The projected figures for the city call for an average of 1.373 million gallons of water per day used by city customers in 2050, compared to 0.807 million per day peak for current use. For more details, see the Oct. 7 edition of the Mount Vernon Optic-Herald.