The City of Cullman is expected to advertise for bids to lay 7.5 miles of pipeline from the Duck River Reservoir to the water treatment plant in June.

Meanwhile, Project Engineer Wes Dawsey of St. John & Associates said information will be sent to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for review this month.

“ADEM has to review everything involving drinking water,” Dawsey said. “With the bids advertised in June, the awarding process should be late June to early July.”

After the bid is awarded, the project could take up to a year to complete. The contractor will be working with 30-inch pipes.

The pumps to power the water into the pipes will be a separate bid, he said.

Duck River Reservoir represents roughly a 100-year water supply for the area. Lake Catoma is the current source. A severe drought several years ago brought Catoma’s level down to critical at one. This past year saw another drought affect the area, which caused local governments to place some restrictions on water use. A series of heavy rainfalls has brought Catoma back to level and restrictions have been lifted.