WILTON — The Select Board on Tuesday accepted a bid of nearly $7.8 million to replace a water transmission line from Varnum Pond to the water treatment plant off Pratt Street.

Pratt & Sons of Minot submitted the lowest offer and will start the project as soon as possible.

The four other bids ranged from $8.6 million by Ranger Construction in Fairfield to $10.6 million by Gordon Contracting of Sangerville, Dalton Plante, superintendent of the Water and Sewer departments, said.

The project calls for untreated water to be conveyed from Varnum Pond on Weld Road, the town’s drinking water source, to be treated at the water treatment plant off Pratt Street, Plante said.

The project has been in the planning process since 2021.

The town has a $7.4 million interim loan through Androscoggin Bank and a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the project. The loan must be paid before the grant kicks in, Plante said.

Another grant for $459,000 was received from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Dirigo Engineering of Fairfield did the engineering, design and permitting for the project at $348,9449.34, according to a preliminary engineering report from Jim Lord of Dirigo Engineering.

That leaves nearly $100,000 from the grant that the Select Board voted Tuesday to put toward design to replace another water transmission line on Main and Park streets.