Riviera Beach board hears timeline for new water plant, well‑field rehab; staff to propose separate utility meeting day and public dashboard

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Directors of the Riviera Beach Utility Special District on April 16 received progress updates on the new water treatment plant and an ongoing well‑field rehabilitation contract and heard staff commitments on scheduling and public transparency.

Consultants told the board phase‑one planning, design and permitting work is nearing completion and that major procurement and contracting steps will follow. Nigel Grace, the city’s owner’s representative for the new water treatment plant, said the joint‑venture design team expects to submit 90% design deliverables by April 25 and to shift into guaranteed‑maximum‑price (GMP) development, with several GMP packages anticipated to be brought to the board by October.

Why it matters: the new plant and well‑field work are central to Riviera Beach’s plan to stabilize raw‑water supply and raise finished‑water reliability. Board members pressed for clearer public information and for meeting scheduling that gives the utility work adequate time for discussion.

Design and procurement timeline

Nigel Grace, the owner’s representative, said phase 1 activities "is essentially winding now," and that the JV team will “immediately pivot into GMP development,” expecting multiple GMPs to complete the scope needed for construction and procurement. Grace said the last GMP in the series is expected in October and that “by October...they’ll be able to immediately then pivot into construction from that point.”

Pilot testing and treatment technology

A JV representative, Mike Hoisington, said the pretreatment pilot has run about three weeks and that team members recently added nanomembrane modules to evaluate recovery rates for the SIS well water. He said testing is ongoing and procurement planning will intensify once 90% design is submitted.

Well‑field rehabilitation

Paul Gandy, president of Global Tech, reported work on the emergency well‑field rehabilitation contract. He said the team has completed several well repairs and flushing activities that together added raw‑water capacity; in his presentation he stated that completed work produced an additional "1,750,000 gallons a day in the raw water supply." Gandy said five prioritized wells are in flushing and bacteriological testing and — if tests and flushing proceed normally — those wells could come online between April and May. He also said the contractor has calibrated 10 flow meters and completed testing on 17 wells to date.

Gandy and the JV team described one site delay caused by previously undocumented abandoned utilities discovered at a well location; the presentation said crews will remove about 28 feet of reinforced concrete pipe before remobilizing the drill rig, and the driller has offered a third rig to regain schedule.

Operational assistance, staffing and treatment plant condition

Mike Miller of US Water Services Corporation, which is assisting district operations, said on‑site water quality "is still within standards" and has shown improvement, while cautioning more equipment maintenance and training are needed to reach optimal performance. Miller said US Water entered its contract in September and that the operational contract has expanded to include training and other support as staff needs were assessed.

On the existing plant, Miller said the central softener is being taken offline for descaling and cleaning; he estimated the work could take about two weeks and said cleaning is expected to improve plant performance once complete. He also reported distribution disinfectant residuals are consistently within regulation at present and that the firm is assisting with staffing and on‑the‑job training for operators.

Board direction and next steps

Board members and the city manager discussed scheduling utility‑district meetings on a separate date to allow fuller presentations and public participation. City Manager Jonathan Evans told the board he will bring an item proposing the fourth Wednesday of the month as a regular utility‑district meeting date for board consideration.

Manager Evans also committed to produce a public water‑quality dashboard and to publish both simplified lay summaries and the full regulatory lab forms. He told the board that the dashboard model would be shown to the board "in the next month or two" and that, if approved, it would be released for public viewing.

Public comment and transparency concerns

Three members of the public spoke during the meeting. Scott Lewis criticized the utility’s customer service and urged better software and staff tools to avoid future operational failures, saying, “You gotta have an efficient operation or you don't have a water utility that works.” Shandra Stringer commended the board’s engagement but urged plain‑language explanations and better meeting notices. Doretta Clark praised staff grant work and singled out a district employee, saying the grant outcomes "speak total volume."

What the board asked for

Board members pressed presenters for specific schedule confirmations and for regular brief reports to the public. Vice Chair Kishamba Miller Anderson emphasized the board’s fiduciary responsibility to get full information even if meetings run long, while other members argued for concise presentations and for a separate utility meeting date to avoid late‑night council agendas.

Ending

Board members thanked staff and consultants for the work and directed the manager to return with the proposed regular meeting date for the Utility Special District and with a draft dashboard for board review.