City describes water taste and odor fixes; basin-cleaning seen as urgent need

William Daniel, director of the Water and Sewer Department, told the committee the taste-and-odor problem at the treatment plant has improved and described new equipment purchases and plans to address basin maintenance that staff say is necessary to prevent recurring color and taste issues.

Daniel said the plant water quality has "actually got it coming out of the plant where it's it's really good" and added that older water trapped in distribution basins can still cause localized problems. He described equipment purchases to address taste/odor and color: "So we have, purchased a new chlorine dioxide system... We also purchased a new activated carbon system." He emphasized that a key immediate need is efficient basin cleaning and said the department is evaluating automatic cleaning systems. While staff are preparing estimates for an automated solution, Daniel said the interim rentals cost about $1,100 for a skid steer for roughly a week to clean two large basins and that a crane rental is also required for that interim method.

Committee members pressed staff for estimates and asked whether basin-cleaning upgrades were included in the 2024 bond; Daniel said the basin work was not in the bond and the basin issues became more pronounced when manganese removal highlighted accumulated deposits. Staff said recent heavy rains and seasonal changes increased the urgency for proactive basin maintenance. The committee asked staff to return with cost estimates and recommended the chair call a focused infrastructure discussion when numbers are available.