Public Water Supply District #3

PWSD#3 of Daviess County is the water district that serves the residents of Lake Viking, MO.  The district was formed in 1997 when it took over operation of the water treatment and distribution system previously under the control of Viking Valley Association. The district is managed by a Board of Directors and operates separately from the homeowner’s association. A brief history of the water plant is detailed below.

Public Water Supply District #3 offers Auto Pay for anyone that wishes to have their bill automatically paid. The two Auto Pay options are bank draft and recurring credit card. Auto Pay by bank draft is a free service provided by the district. If using a recurring debit or credit card for payment, a transaction fee will apply. We also offer eBill for customers who would like to receive their bill by email – Click here to sign-up

If you have any questions or need info, contact the office: 660-663-2771
(located at the water plant) 116 Waterworks St., Gallatin, MO. 64640


PWSD#3 Board Members & Employees serving you:

Kyle W. Parkhurst, President – Sub-District #3
Harlan Horst, Vice President – Sub-District #5
Mark Closterman, Secretary – Sub-District #2
Gary Buck, Director – Sub-District #1
Mike Lammers, Director – Sub-District #4
Zack Morrison, Superintendent
Gary King, Water Operator
Diane Hulett, Clerk
Board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. at the PWSD #3 office. Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. All payments are to be made payable to Public Water Supply District No. 3 of Daviess County, MO. You may abbreviate as PWSD #3. A drop box is available at the water plant for the payment of bills.


 

Quick Facts About PWSD#3

  • Construction of the new water treatment plant began in April 2022 and was completed in June 2023.
  • In 1982, the facility pumped an average of 20,000 gallons per day. By 2007, the average volume had increased to 60,000 gallons per day. With the installation of radio read meters in 2018, the plant was able to control water loss better and now pumps an average of 50,000 gallons per day.
  • The new filtration units pump at a rate 160 gallons per minute if needed (320 gallons/min total), compared to the old plant which pumped at a rate of 120-140 gallons per minute.
  • In 1995, the water plant’s reserve was 11,000 gallons and in 2007 the capacity was increased to 300,000 gallons with the addition of the clearwell. The plant also operates with a standpipe and elevated tank which holds 75,000 and 100,000 gallons, respectively.
  • Steps in the water processing operation are from lake to plant, to filtration system, to the clearwell.  The new water plant utilizes a one-step mixed media filtration system at this time but will soon go to a two-step filtration system when two Granular Activated Carbon units are added back to the system during the fall of 2024.

History of the Lake’s Water Plant…

Original Water Plant Building

New Water Plant Building

New Water Plant Building

When Lake Viking was built, an obvious cornerstone of the development was the water plant. DSI had built numerous other water systems for their lake developments that were widely regarded as being innovative. During construction, DSI promised to supply water to anyone building a house before the water facility was completed. Edtions from 1968 and 1969 Lake Viking News tell of contracts being let for the building of a water distribution system with a targeted completion date of 1970.

The April 1970 issue reports construction delays and a steak dinner bet between Board Members Ray Melton and Ed Hausman over the actual completion. The same issue reports of a special Association Meeting regarding purchase of the water system.

The water system was finally completed and operational on July 17, 1971 with water charges of $5 a month beginning on July 1, and billed quarterly. According to the Daviess County History (1986 edition), the final sale of the water system to the Association was in 1976 — for a price of $300,000. This was a substantial investment, but one that was forecast to become profitable in the future.

In May 1977, it was reported water consumption had already run as high as 170,000 gallons on a peak day. The problem was that the plant only had the capacity to process 150,000 gallons a day. Whenever the plant pumps more water than it can purify, it is subject to being red-tagged and shut down by the state. Solution: new water meters on each property to help monitor consumption.
By December of 1986, when Bob Feigley became Lake Manager, housing on the lake was rapidly increasing. Feigley began installing more fire-hydrants.

From the earliest days of the lake’s water system, Harold Gooding was in charge of the water department. In 1982, the Association hired a young man, named Roger Barker, who also helped with water-system maintenance. As Roger continued to work at the water plant, he became more and more interested. He decided to study and take the test to become a state-licensed certified water plant operator. This put Roger in position to eventually run the water facility.

In 1996, the water system was demanding an increasing amount of Association resources. Increased building on the lake was driving up water consumption, which ultimately led to the Association falling under increasing scrutiny from the Missouri Department of Health. Meanwhile the Association had to balance expenditure needs of the water facility with those of other areas, in order to make budget.

In a June 5th meeting with Lake Manager Feigley, Missouri Department of Health representatives recommended that the Lake Viking water facility become a special water district. The Association was in agreement; but reserve had to increase before the system could meet the necessary criteria to become a separate district.The dilemma was finally resolved by a system upgrade allowing the organization of PWSD # 3. The basis of change was the $500 per house and $100 per lot user fees, which are still in effect today. The old “water boy” units were converted to pre-treatment while a clear well was built for reserve.Another result of the new water district was more realistic pricing, which aided in moderating consumption. Before the water district was organized, water was cheap with the old $5 monthly minimum still in effect.
It doesn’t seem possible, but the highest daily water consumption ever recorded by the water plant was on August 7, 1995. On that day 203,400 gallons of water were used. Roger Barker reports that month to be the only one in which 4,000,000 gallons of water were used.Finally, in 2000 a major upgrade occurred as a result of a revenue bond. The new, state-of-the-art, 3-step filtration system installed in the water plant was, at the time, only the second in Missouri, and it put PWSD #3 of Daviess County way ahead of the curve.

Source: “Lake Viking 1967-2007: Celebrating 40 Years of Progress”