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Water and wastewater staff cite regulatory, equipment and staffing pressures
Summary
Officials said treatment equipment is aging, pumps and generators need replacement, and a rate study and grant pursuits are next steps to address capital needs at the water and wastewater facilities.
Geneva — Staff responsible for water and wastewater described multiple equipment, regulatory and staffing issues that will require capital investment and planning, and they urged council to support studies that will inform rates and funding priorities.
Joe (Public Works Director) and water/wastewater staff described the water treatment facility, a 5,000,000‑gallon reservoir, and associated booster stations. They said the city serves roughly 4,700 water service customers inside the city and about 2,000 in the town that are connected to the system.
The water presentation noted several near‑term priorities: replacing micro‑filtration stacks that are beyond their expected 10–12 year lifespan (now at roughly 15 years), addressing failing pumps at booster stations (some units have already failed), replacing a boiler in the chlorine room and maintaining generator reliability. Staff also said they will pursue grant funding previously applied for (the WEA grant) and reiterated that some projects are regulatory in nature and driven by the Department of Health and EPA guidance.
On the wastewater side, staff said the Dorn Avenue plant and Galvin Park pump stations serve the system’s roughly 82 miles of piping and that they operate an extensive maintenance program. Capital requests include new pumps and EBS units, replacement of the bar screen conveyor, updated SCADA and security systems, and continued televising and cleaning of sewer mains to address inflow and infiltration. Staff said manholes in older areas, including through Glenwood Cemetery, are contributing infiltration that increases treatment volumes.
Staff indicated workforce concerns: several operators are approaching retirement age, and plant operations rely on experienced staff who perform state‑required testing and maintenance. A planned headworks analysis and a rate study were cited as important next steps to determine cost recovery, potential regional partnerships and how to sequence capital investments.
Councilors and staff agreed that securing grant funding, conducting engineering assessments, and completing a rate study will be central to planning the next several years of work.
