Hitchcock approves $1.34M sanitary sewer construction and $326,815 inspection follow-up

The Hitchcock City Council on Jan. 9 approved two items to advance repair and replacement of the city's sewer collection system: Task Order No. 1 for Phase 1 construction and Task Order No. 2 to finish the sanitary sewer evaluation survey.

The Phase 1 construction task order was approved not to exceed $1,340,620; council then approved a second task order for remaining SSES work, not to exceed $326,815, to map and test remaining lines before broader construction. The council voted to approve both motions without recorded opposition.

Why it matters: The projects aim to reduce inflow and infiltration and rehabilitate aging mains in multiple council districts, allowing the city to use Texas Water Development Board funding already secured for construction.

City staff and consultants described the scope and schedule. "This will be Phase 1 of the construction phase," said Jose Maldonado, project engineer, RJN. He said Phase 1 focuses on a mix of areas including parts of Districts 3 and 4, with work roughly bounded from Stewart east to Burns/Brown Street and south from the railroad. Maldonado said the construction phase is expected to take at least a year and "probably more, more like 18 months."

A city staff presenter said the overall construction package for Phase 1 covers about 47,000 linear feet of sewer main replacement and rehabilitation and that the project will proceed in phases rather than all at once. The contract documents estimate the Phase 1 construction cost at $1,340,620.

Council members questioned materials and methods. Maldonado and staff said the system is a "mixed bag" of pipe types including PVC (various DR/SDR), asbestos concrete and clay; clay mains largely remain on transmission lines along Highway 6. For lining and replacement the design will determine whether sections are relined or upsized. "If it doesn't warrant an increase in size, then we'll just go back with the same size, different material," Maldonado said.

On the SSES task order, staff explained that earlier phases covered much of the south side of Highway 6 and parts of the north side; the new task order will finish Districts 1 and 2 and a small portion of District 3 so the city has complete data for the construction phase. The consultant said manhole mapping and unit-rate allowances include contingency because older records are inconsistent; staff said GIS maps will be updated after each field phase.

Council members asked about storm impacts and recent high plant levels; staff said heavy rain increases I&I and that it typically takes 24–48 hours for levels to normalize at the wastewater treatment plant after storms. The project team said lining methods such as cured-in-place will be used where appropriate to reduce excavation.

The council approved both task orders by voice vote; presenters said the project will proceed to detailed design and then construction work as scheduled.