Council hears plan for water infrastructure work, AMI meters and higher treatment costs

City staff told the council the water utility will begin design for a new line from Well No. 3 to the treatment plant to coincide with the state’s Split Rock Boulevard project and that design estimates are still being developed.

Staff said the plant expansion and the addition of reverse-osmosis treatment have increased chemical use and operating costs; insurance for the new $28 million plant also rose substantially at renewal. A tower inspection and routine meter-supply purchases were also included in the draft utility budget.

Staff proposed installing an AMI (automatic meter infrastructure) system to take advantage of newly installed meters. The AMI system would allow hourly remote reads, pull final move-out readings, and provide data logs on recent hourly usage; staff said the city already owns compatible software and that no new meter-reading software purchase is required. Staff estimated an installation cost of roughly $112,000 but said final quotes are pending. They recommended beginning with a single central gateway at the main tower to test range and coverage before committing to additional gateways.

On the distribution side staff noted that meter purchases have declined as meter-phasing concludes and that new meters will generate corresponding revenue. Staff said a leak-detection survey (satellite-based detection) will be updated for both water and sewer to target probable leaks.

No formal action was taken; staff asked councilmembers to review the proposed expenditures and return with questions ahead of budget adoption.