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La Porte delays decision on wastewater headworks after contractor bids exceed available funds
Summary
Wastewater staff told the Board of Public Works and Safety on July 22 that bids for the treatment-plant headworks project exceeded the city's available funding, prompting staff to explore relocating a channel to build the work "offline" and to consider phasing to reduce cost. No formal contract award was made.
La Porte, Ind. — Wastewater staff told the La Porte Board of Public Works and Safety on July 22 that contractor bids for the city's wastewater headworks project came in well above the city's current funding, and the board received an update rather than a decision. "Their original number came in at $15.04 and ... after subtracting those out we're down to 14 to 14,200,000.0 and our funding is 10.6," Jerry Jackson said during the meeting.
The headworks project would replace worn screens and improve grit removal at the treatment plant, facilities Jackson said are aged and cause routine operational trouble. "Fine screens will make our product our solids have no debris in it," Jackson said, and new grit chambers would reduce jamming during storms.
Why it matters: The board heard the update after heavy rain over the weekend produced manhole overflows on combined sewers. Jackson said those events underscore the need for continued sewer separation and upgrades. The city's current funding for the headworks work comes from a bond anticipation note and is intended to be repaid from sewer rates.
City staff outlined options rather than recommending immediate award. Jackson said relocating the channel that runs from the headworks to the wet-weather storage basin could create a "greenfield" build site and allow most construction to proceed off-line, away from congested electrical and utility conduits. "The state has wanted us to pipe that channel for a long time," he said, adding the relocation could also allow future wet-weather treatment improvements.
Discussion and next steps: Staff said they would assess the relocation option and whether piecemeal bidding or a revised single contract could lower costs. Jackson said the project as originally bid could not be recommended for award at the meeting because the bid and the available funding did not match. No formal motion or vote on the headworks contract was taken.
Context and recent performance: Jackson reviewed plant capacity and performance during the storm, saying the treatment plant can treat about "10,000,000 gallons a day" while a recent storm produced a much larger inflow that required storage. He also reminded the board that La Porte has an extended, multi-year sewer-separation program paid from utility bills and noted the city's longstanding estimate of about $100 million in needed water and sewer infrastructure work.
Financial implications: Jackson said the city's current funding for the headworks project is roughly $10.6 million and that the bids he described would bring the project cost into the low-to-mid $14 million range. He said staff would continue working with the contractor and state reviewers and would return to the board with recommendations.
Ending: The board accepted the update; staff will return with further analysis and any recommendation about contracting or phased work once the relocation option and revised cost estimates are developed.
