Ridgewood Water: emergency stripping-tower repair and extra asphalt funding after dozens of water-main breaks

Ridgewood Water officials briefed the council on two near-term needs: an emergency award for repair work on the Wharton Dyke stripping tower used to remove volatile organic compounds from drinking water, and a request for additional trench-patching funds after an early-season surge in water-main breaks.

Director Calbee (identified in the meeting) told the council the stripping tower had been leaking and freezing; staff declared an emergency in February, the manager and CFO approved that emergency, and the village sought to codify an emergency contract award to PAC 2 LLC for repairs and media replacement not to exceed $113,818, to be funded from the water capital budget. Calbee explained the tower media are hundreds of plastic “balls” that enable water–air contact to strip volatile organic compounds; the work also includes a distribution tray and labor to repack the column.

Council members asked why the replacement media and work cost roughly $114,000; Calbee and other staff said the figure covers more than the media (distribution trays, removal and reinstallation, welding and related tasks) and noted the repairs include equipment and labor that should extend the tower’s remaining service life. Calbee said the work should not affect distribution and that if everything goes well the repair could last 25 years; he cautioned that further repairs might be needed depending on what the crew finds once opened.

Separately, staff requested an additional $100,000 to the previously awarded asphalt trench-patching contract to cover a wave of water-main breaks: the village experienced 30 water-main breaks in 2025 (reported during the meeting). Chris (engineering staff) explained most emergency repairs are patched using couplings and collars but that larger breaks require full pipe replacement. The requested $100,000 increase would be funded from the water operating budget to ensure sufficient funds for base paving associated with emergency openings for the remainder of the season.

Councilors asked whether the breaks were weather-related; staff said temperature fluctuations and cold snaps contributed to the spike. No formal roll-call vote on these items was recorded in the transcript, but staff presented the scope, funding sources, and recommended next steps and answered technical questions from councilors.