Ellinger Hopes $1.4 Million Plan Fixes Water Woes

Ellinger Sewer and Water Supply Corporation (ESWSC) broke ground on their new ground storage tank and water treatment facility last Friday, Dec. 2. On hand for the occasion were (from left) James Weishuhn and Barbara Weishuhn of Weishuhn Engineering; ESWSC Director Paula Urban, construction contractor Ronnie Jahnz, ESWSC Director Jeffery James, ESWSC President Greg Hunger, Ellinger Mayor Matt Mikulenka, ESWSC Director Michael Schlabach, Pct. 2 Commissioner Luke Sternadel, and ESWSC operator Wayne Kocian. Not pictured were ESWSC directors Roy Moore and Bradley Dunk. Photo by Andy Behlen

The Ellinger Sewer and Water Supply Corporation (ESWSC) broke ground last Friday on a $1,428,000 ground storage tank and water treatment facility.

“It’s going to help Ellinger grow,” said Ellinger Mayor Matt Mikulenka. “We have people moving out of the City and they want to come to the rural areas. Fayette County is a great place to move to, but we have to have the services. Water is our biggest issue.”

Arsenic problems have plagued Ellinger’s aging water system for many years, and the new facility will help bring the town’s water system into the 21st Century. It couldn’t come at a better time, as the town is poised for growth due to its convenient location between Columbus and Austin.

The project includes a 60,000 gallon ground storage tank and a treatment facility to remove arsenic from the drinking water.

“We’re putting up a ground storage tank, and there’s a second phase, which is treatment for the removal or arsenic that is naturally occurring in the groundwater here in town,” said James Weishuhn of Weishuhn Engineering, the firm that designed the project. “This is the first step,” Weishuhn added. “It’s peace of mind for the folks who live here with the water as well as those who sit on the (ESWSC) board who have been wrangling with getting into compliance and dealing with money issues.”

A portion of the project was subsidized with funds from the Texas Water Development Board.

“This is a great place for growth,” Weishuhn said. “The City has recently been incorporated, and there are lots of lots platted here in town. The market sees that. People want to move to a small town. We’ve got to get the infrastructure in place to provide to them.”

The project isn’t just about helping Ellinger grow. Barbara Weishuhn of Weishuhn Engineering said the town’s water system was built in the 1960s and was long-due for upgrades. She thanked the Texas Water Development Board for assisting with the project.

“The Water Development Board is great about helping with aging infrastructure,” she said.

“The Texas Water Development Board helping us with this project has been a great asset,” Mikulenka said.

The project should be complete by the end of 2023.