City updates pipes program: water and wastewater leaders cite progress, plant upgrades and deferred pipeline work

City wastewater and water leaders briefed council on the multi-year Pipes program, reporting $614 million in awards to date and progress on large treatment-plant resiliency projects even as some pipeline replacements are deferred because of market conditions.

Wastewater Director Eric Weiss said the program’s backbone is a master-plan-driven approach that pairs pipe cleaning and TV inspection with prioritized repairs. He said the city has awarded about $614,000,000 of work since the program began and highlighted two major projects: an $80 million carbon-removal/solids-handling upgrade and an $18 million pumping-station modernization that moves critical electrical equipment above flood elevations.

Weiss said concentrating on treatment-plant upgrades reduces regulatory and resiliency risks that carry higher consequence of failure than small-scale pipeline replacement; he said pipeline work tends to be less affected by inflation due to available contractor capacity for linings and trenchless repairs.

Water Department head Rory Jones described an $150 million filter building project that will add 20 million gallons per day of capacity and modernize filters; he also outlined a new raw-water pump station and intake screens to improve redundancy and reliability. Jones said some pipeline projects have been deferred — "about eight years of pipeline" in his phrasing — while staff focus on treatment-plant projects and strategic valve and main-break mitigation.

Council members praised staff for planning and asked for continued public briefings as projects proceed.