City utility staff gave commissioners a progress update on water and wastewater projects during the Jan. 13 workshop and said several capital and maintenance items will affect downtown redevelopment and future site-ready parcels.

Completed and active projects cited by staff included the Bates Avenue wastewater treatment plant administration building now under construction, the Coolidge-area water and sewer main work that has been completed, and rehabilitation of Lift Station 9. Staff said a County Road 44 forcemain replacement is planned to address a recurring failure and that the city will phase repairs while tying segments into existing capacity where possible.

Utilities leadership also reported steady work on infiltration and inflow (I&I) projects. Staff said that targeted testing and repairs reduced wastewater flows by about 57 gallons per day per connection, equivalent to almost 400,000 gallons per day across the system when extrapolated across 6,940 connections — a reduction that the utilities team said restores treatment capacity without an immediate need for a plant expansion.

Other items on staff's list: a water-storage-tank inspection that found issues in the concrete dome requiring further evaluation; a reuse master plan update that the city will pursue; and ongoing work on lift-station backup power to improve resilience during storms. Utilities staff also warned commissioners that regulatory testing for emerging contaminants (PFAS) and other state-level initiatives may require future treatment investments.

Staff said they will return with more detailed engineering design and cost estimates for any large projects that affect downtown redevelopment parcels so commissioners can factor utilities timing and costs into redevelopment decisions.