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Council approves $20,659 pump purchase after failure at Huntingfield lift station
Summary
After a catastrophic pump failure at a Huntingfield Drive lift station, the council approved a $20,659 replacement pump from Vandervanter Engineering with a 12–14 week lead time and a five-year prorated warranty; staff said the city budget can cover the purchase after recent reserve use.
The City Council authorized purchase of a replacement wastewater pump for the Huntingfield Drive lift station after staff described a "catastrophic" failure that left the station with damaged equipment.
Staff reported one pump in the duplex lift station broke free from its restraints, continued operating and was severely damaged when it tangled with cords and chains. Van de Vanter Engineering (the city's preventive-maintenance contractor) provided a quote for a replacement pump from Flygt Manufacturing at $20,659, with a 12–14 week lead time and a five-year prorated warranty. Staff said the city’s reserve for the wastewater budget had $80,000 at the start of the year but that $42,614 was recently used to buy an effluent pump, leaving roughly $37,000 available.
Staff said it was unclear exactly why the pump failed — the cause could be human error or age — and that the failure was unusual based on vendor and peer feedback. The vendor provided a $5,100 discount from list to the purchase price shown in the staff recommendation.
Council moved and approved the purchase by roll call. Staff said the lift station has a duplex setup that provides redundancy while the replacement is on order; council and staff described the purchase as necessary to restore full redundancy and maintain service.
The replacement pump purchase was authorized and staff will complete procurement with Van de Vanter Engineering and schedule installation when the unit arrives.
