Councilors hear questions on water-plant flood protection; berm material reused to cap demolition landfill

City public-commenters and councilors raised questions Monday about flood protection at the city water treatment plant and whether clay used for an emergency berm had been removed and repurposed.

Resident Joe Canter asked whether clay and dirt that had been used around the water-treatment plant — and in previous flood responses — were removed and whether their reuse could leave the plant vulnerable during future floods: “Are we gonna be protected or city water gonna be protected or not?” he asked.

Public Works Director Ted Broca (responding at council request) said the berm placed around the plant in 2022 was temporary and constructed under an emergency arrangement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; because the berm was not engineered as a permanent structure, it had to be removed after the flood event and carried no warranty from federal authorities. Broca said the clay used to construct the berm was excavated “within 2 miles of the water plant” and placed at the city demolition landfill to cap that site rather than being left in place around the plant.

Broca said the city is working on mechanical controls and rehabilitation at the treatment plant — including addressing a raw-water intake gate that cannot currently be shut — and that the city is seeking funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a more permanent berm. He cautioned that obtaining Army Corps funding for a new engineered berm could take as long as 10 years.

Mayor and council members said they want to ensure the plant is protected and asked staff to pursue funding options and report back to the council. No new construction contract or immediate funding decision was made at the meeting.