FERRIDAY &045; The opening of the new water plant on Lake St. John has been delayed countless times over the past three years, but drip by miniscule drip, the project is nearing completion.

Construction on the plant, which began in May 1999, is more or less complete, and the $1.1 million clarifier is reportedly doing a fine job of removing the lake water’s harmless by unappealing yellow hue.

Earlier attempts with other methods had clogged the plant’s filters.

But construction crews and plant personnel are busy with the minutiae that always seem to appear unexpectedly when any large undertaking is close to an end.

&uot;There’s still a little bit more to do,&uot; said Keith Capdepon, an engineer with Bryant Hammett and Associates.

That &uot;little bit&uot; is mainly in the clarifier. For the past few weeks, Concordia Waterworks District No. 1 Superintendent Charles Renfrow has been adjusting chemical doses down to a bare minimum, walking the fine line between under-treating the water and over-treating it.

That winnowing work was extended recently, when new chemicals were brought in.

&uot;They had it down real close, and they had changed polymers right before the holidays,&uot; Capdepon said. &uot;They had it within the limit.&uot;

Once the levels are just right, Capdepon said representatives from ONDEO, the Virginia-based company that supplied the clarifier, will pay a visit to make sure everything is ready for the plant to go on-line.

Progress on the plant was also slowed down by Christmastime, during which construction crews from Minden-based McInnis Brothers Construction were on vacation.

&uot;Everything’s going to pick up again real soon,&uot; Capdepon said.

A ceremonial first drink of water was scheduled for Sept. 25.

The Concordia Waterworks District No. 1 Board voted to hold off on any such events until water was being pumped out to customers, and the group of federal and state officials invited to the ceremony were forced to put off their travel plans.

As of now, the ceremony has not been rescheduled.