Coupeville is the happy recipient of a sizable grant intended to improve water quality for town residents.

Mayor Nancy Conard announced last week that the town received $500,000 from the State Public Trust Board Small Communities in Rural Counties program.

That money should pay for the majority of a project to connect a well that was drilled in 2008 to the treatment center. The new well was drilled near Keystone Hill Road in a location with a better aquifer than other town wells. It will be able to pump 250 gallons per minute into the town’s water system, Conard said. Older wells located near Fort Casey pump only 10 and 27 gallons per minute.

Coupeville had some stiff competition for the state pot of money. The town’s proposal was one of 211 projects statewide vying for the $9.8 million available.

Conard said work on the project should begin in February or March.

The grant will fund $514,000 of the estimated $524,000 cost. Conard hopes a competitive bidding process will be lower than projected. If not, the town has money set aside to pay for the remainder.

She said because the water project is so important to the town’s water quality, staff had considered taking out a loan to pay for the work. Now, with the grant dollars, that won’t be necessary.