Zelienople Borough Council's actions regarding the community's secondary water source should be appreciated by residents, even though it will cost the borough a bit more than previously anticipated.

Zelienople initially had agreed to split the approximately $60,000 cost with Marion Township, Beaver County, for repair of a township-owned waterline that supplies the borough during dry-weather conditions when its reservoir cannot provide enough water to the town's customers. The line froze and burst last winter.

Instead of the 50-50 split of the repair costs agreed to previously by the borough and township, Monday night the borough agreed to pay two-thirds of the cost and loan Marion the remaining one-third at zero percent interest for three years in order to complete the repairs quickly.

According to Donald C. Pepe, Zelienople borough manager, a shortage of funds in Marion has kept the township from moving ahead with the line's repair. Zelienople's accepting a bigger financial share of the project, along with loaning Marion the remaining money needed, should clear the project for full-speed-ahead status.

Pepe said he anticipates that the work involving approximately 60 to 70 20-foot sections of line would take about a week to complete, once the project is under way.

It's not often that municipalities are willing to exercise the kind of financial cooperation Zelienople is putting forth in this instance, even with the kind of negative ramifications facing the borough as long as the line remains unrepaired. Marion officials should appreciate the cooperation.

Zelienople would have other water options, even if the Marion line could not be completed prior to a water emergency. However, the borough prefers to follow the established order of alternative water supplies. What presumably would be a last resort would be to tap into a currently capped Pennsylvania-American Water Co. line near the site of the old Resolite plant off Route 68.

Zelienople officials are reluctant to exercise the Pennsylvania-American option because of what borough officials described as the "hefty fee" the water company would charge for turning on the water, in addition to the regular water usage costs.

Zelienople is right in avoiding those expenses, if possible.

It is not unusual for Zelienople's main water supply from Scholars Run to be lost during persistent dry periods in the summer. Marion Township has been the borough's backup under such circumstances, but last winter's damage to the line posed uncertainties that the borough has since been trying to put to rest.

Chad Garland, borough water department superintendent, told the borough council Monday that the township has sufficient water to supply the borough in the upcoming weeks, if necessary, and if the damaged line is repaired. Meanwhile, there's an agreement in place that would have the Harmony Water Authority provide Zelienople with water, if water from Marion remains unavailable.

However, Garland said, if the line isn't repaired in time and if Harmony were unable to meet Zelienople's needs, Zelienople would have to seek an alternative source, either Pennsylvania-American or returning to Connoquenessing Creek, which the borough stopped using several years ago because of high nitrate levels stemming from upstream industrial discharges, which since have been mostly eliminated.

On Tuesday, Pepe was optimistic about the water situation, due to the council's efforts to eliminate the financial roadblocks preventing repair of the damaged line. Town residents should likewise be optimistic and appreciative of the council's efforts to resolve the situation.

Hopefully the voluntary water conservation measure that the council enacted, effective Tuesday, won't have to be made mandatory in the days ahead, thanks in part to the council's cooperation mind-set.