Hillcrest Estates, a premier mobile home park located in Altoona Wisconsin, may be getting a brand new water system in 2025. The current water system currently has inadequate water pressure on the north west side of the community. There is a proposal to replace the water lines in the area and connect to the City of Altoona’s water system to improve the water pressure.
Hillcrest Estates, built in the 1960’s, is the largest mobile home park in the state of Wisconsin with 340 families. The mobile home park is currently on a private water system with two wells that produce very high quality water. The water is tested monthly on multiple locations by a third party testing company and consistently exceeded the WDNR’s drinking water standards.
The northwest portion of the community, however, does not meet DNR’s minimum pressure of 35 psi. The minimum pressure requirement ensures that there is no backflow and infiltration which can cause contamination. While the Hillcrest Estates’ water quality is outstanding and does not show signs of contamination, the minimum water pressure needs to be met for the long term safety of the residents.
After an extensive study, it was concluded that providing municipal water with new water lines to the low-pressure area is the best solution. This solution will provide adequate pressure with excellent reliability. It will also provide additional fire hydrants to increase fire safety for the community. The system will also be built to the municipal standard, which is much more stringent than that of the private water system. Such a system will ensure reliability of the water service for decades to come.
Congressman Derrick Van Orden requested Congress to provide funding for the initial phase of the project. This project aligns with his priorities which include affordable housing, water security, and public safety. Congressman Van Orden had championed other projects that improved access to clean water and removing harmful contaminants such as PFAS.
If the funding is approved, the project at Hillcrest Estates can start as early as spring of 2025. Hillcrest Estates and the City of Altoona are also seeking funding for subsequent phases of the project which will extend the municipal water system to the rest of the community.
The Hillcrest Estates team is extremely excited about this opportunity. We are also extremely grateful for the support of many parties involved including the City of Altoona, Congressman Van Orden and his staff, Wisconsin Housing Alliance, Altoona Fire Department, West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc, Cedar Corp, von Briesen & Roper. JONAH, Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council, School District of Altoona, Department of Natural Resources, and staff at Hillcrest Estates.
Notes
Some news outlets mis-represented that the water quality at Hillcrest Estates is substandard. This is not true. The water quality meets and exceeds DNR’s drinking water standard. We have requested corrections.
