Council reviewed emergency fill options for the Eureka Field Station after staff reported the station has been down on at least two short occasions and water trucks have been using private fill points.

Why it matters: the city must maintain an emergency fill capability to supply water trucks when the field station is out of service, but equipment and installation costs vary widely.

Kim, a council member, reported that new temporary fill valves with backflow prevention and meters range from about $3,800 to $12,000, while some simpler hydrant-mount fittings can cost under $1,000. Kim said staff is unsure what threads or fittings the fill station currently uses and whether the fill point is metal or PVC.

Public-works staff member Joe (referred to in discussion) said the station has gone down "twice and for a short amount of times," and that a 3/4-inch household faucet is too slow to fill 500-gallon tanks efficiently. Council members discussed using a fire hydrant with a meter or a 2-inch hydrant fitting that would allow truck drivers to fill themselves with an air gap and backflow prevention to protect the culinary system.

Staff and council discussed the option of renting or borrowing a hydrant adapter from Joe or Charlie when needed and buying one lower-cost adapter for the city's inventory for sanitary reasons. Kim recommended capping the top-fill port on tanks and requiring bottom-fill connections to reduce sanitary issues.

Direction: staff will follow up with Joe to determine what equipment he has, whether the city can rent a unit or should purchase a basic adapter for emergency use, and return with a recommendation at the next meeting.