The Washington City Council approved several items related to a water main project during a special meeting Tuesday.

The council held public hearings and approved resolutions to adopt a community development housing needs assessment, commit matching funds, and submit an application for a Community Development Block Grant. The city is requesting $600,000 in CDBG funds for work to be done on West Madison Street from C to H avenues, West Washington Street from D to F avenues, and East Main Street from 12th to 15th avenues. City Administrator Brent Hinson says these are all high breakage areas in the city’s system, “So when a water main is high breakage that means it’s worn out. These mains have been in the ground for decades and decades and decades. I think probably anybody that’s driven West Madison/Highway 92 in the winter has encountered us dealing with a water main break there or having issues because we’ve got a lane closed to repair a water main break or repatch it. It’s just been an ongoing issue for a number of years.”

The city is committing $1,385,000 in general obligation bonds for this project and additional water main improvements in the city. Based on a survey the city conducted this June, 72.18% of the residents living in the target neighborhood who will be impacted by the project are of low and moderate income. The city should be notified by early September whether they’ve received the grant.