Bluff City approves $13,625 to replace two sewer pumps; officials say system study, CCTV will guide future upgrades

Bluff City's Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to approve Ordinance 2025-006, authorizing $13,625 to purchase two sewer pumps to restore redundancy at two pump stations, the board was told at its meeting.

The purchase was presented after Mattern & Craig engineer Austin Smith and Public Works Supervisor Alan Maltree described recent pump testing, CCTV inspections and ongoing inflow-and-infiltration work. The ordinance passed unanimously after a motion by Alderwoman Payne and a second; the town recorder recorded affirmative votes from the aldermen present.

The vote finalizes a line-item amendment tied to the town's water and sewer budget. The text presented on the floor and the public hearing described two separate quotes bundled into one line item: one pump sized for the SR 390 (Bridge) station and a differently sized pump for the 44 Igloo station. Board members noted the two pumps are not identical and that the ordinance groups the separate quotes into a single purchase.

Consulting engineer Austin Smith of Mattern & Craig said drawdown testing showed one of the pumps at the Igloo station "did not perform well on the drawdown test" and that a loose guide rail likely "isn't making a proper connection at the bottom of the pump," causing the unit to circulate water rather than pump effectively. Smith told the board the pumps in question are on the order of "about 10 years old" and that a CCTV inspection of lines had been completed; he said he would package the CCTV footage and his recommendations into a report "at least by next week." Smith also said he would forward the original pump specification to staff.

Public Works Supervisor Alan Maltree emphasized the urgency of restoring a second pump at SR 390: "Right now, we are down to 1 pump. If that pump goes down, we will be in a situation. So that's why I'm stressing the 390 Bridge." Maltree and Smith both said the immediate purchases are meant to restore redundancy; they and other board members discussed studying larger or chopper-style pumps for future replacement cycles to handle heavier debris.

The discussion also addressed broader system conditions. Maltree and other staff said storm-driven inflow-and-infiltration (I&I) has been a larger driver of earlier overflows than pump horsepower alone. "Every event that we done had here has been during a rain event... It's I&I. There's too much getting into the system," Maltree said, noting that pipe capacity and groundwater/stormwater inflow limit what can be moved regardless of pump size.

Board members and staff agreed to proceed with the immediate purchases to reestablish two working pumps at each location and to return with options for longer-term upgrades. Town and consultant staff said they would prepare recommendations after reviewing the CCTV footage and the Mattern & Craig field report.

The ordinance passed by voice vote and was recorded as approved. No additional funding for future pump upgrades was authorized by this motion; further evaluation and any subsequent orders would be brought back to the board.

Next steps: Mattern & Craig will deliver a written findings-and-recommendations report based on CCTV and drawdown testing; town staff will work with the consultant to scope any larger or chopper-pump replacements and return options to the board for separate authorization.