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Amsterdam approves $400,000 transfer to replace failed backwash pumps at water plant
Summary
The Amsterdam Common Council approved a $400,000 budget transfer from contingency to replace failed backwash waste pumps at the water filtration plant after engineers warned continued overflow could trigger New York State DEC permitting and require on-site treatment.
The Amsterdam Common Council on Jan. 7 approved a $400,000 transfer from contingency to pay for replacement of failed backwash waste pumps at the city’s water filtration plant.
City Engineer Clark Mata told the council both pumps have failed and that continued overflow from backwash operations could force the city to treat backwash on-site rather than sending the waste to the wastewater treatment plant. “A continued overflow…will make us subject to a SPDES permit, and we do not want to go down that road,” Mata said during the council discussion.
The council resolution authorizes the controller to transfer $400,000 from contingency to equipment in the water fund to pay for new pumps and related controls and wiring. Mata estimated contractor labor, piping and electrical work could add to equipment costs; the resolution states any unused funds will be returned to contingency.
Plant manager Zach Baxter provided the city engineer’s estimate and the operations rationale: without both pumps in service, the plant cannot reliably discharge the backwash flow to the sanitary sewer. Mata said new variable frequency drives and significant piping work will be required.
Alderman Christopher Carpenter sponsored the budget transfer. The motion passed on a roll call with all council members present voting yes.
The council asked staff to supply a detailed contingency balance at the next meeting and to report final installation costs once bids and contractor estimates are firm. Mata and Baxter said the city is beginning the replacement immediately to avoid regulatory escalation.
Background: backwash is the filtered water that is flushed from filter beds during routine regeneration; in Amsterdam the backwash stream is normally sent to the wastewater plant for treatment. City officials said prolonged pump failure would require creating a separate treatment process and likely a permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
