Riverbank public works outlines water, sewer, streets and wastewater upgrades

Cody Bridgewater, public works director for the City of Riverbank, reviewed the structure and operations of the city's Public Works Department and outlined ongoing maintenance responsibilities and capital projects.

Bridgewater told the council the department includes administration, water, sewer collections, streets, wastewater treatment and fleet maintenance and described staffing: the wastewater supervisor and three operators, a city mechanic, a public works supervisor with eight employees, a water supervisor with six employees, and two administrative analysts plus an administrative clerk.

He said Riverbank's drinking water comes exclusively from groundwater wells and is normally non-chlorinated; the city chlorinates only as part of maintenance. He clarified responsibility for repairs: the city maintains mains, laterals within the public right-of-way and the water meter connection, while property owners are responsible for the service from the meter into the building. Bridgewater advised residents to contact Public Works first for suspected sewer backups so staff can confirm whether the city main or the private lateral is the problem; the city will camera laterals at no charge after a private plumber clears a blockage.

Bridgewater said the city's sewer collection system includes about 72 miles of sewer mains and nine lift stations. He warned that "flushable" wipes, grease and roots frequently cause pump and mainline clogs and that crews sometimes must pull pumps at night to clear blockages. He urged residents not to flush wipes or pour fats, oils and grease down drains and recommended sewer-lateral inspections when buying a home.

On streets, Bridgewater described routine pothole repair methods (cold patch for immediate fixes, hot-mix for permanent repairs) and said crack sealing is a cost-effective preventative measure. He noted the city maintains curbs and gutters while California Street and Highway Code section 56 10 places sidewalk repair responsibility with adjacent property owners; the city will assist by removing and demoing damaged concrete at no cost if the owner obtains an encroachment permit to replace the sidewalk.

Bridgewater reviewed the wastewater treatment plant on the north side of the river adjacent to Jacob Meyer Park and said the plant is handling roughly 1.6 to 1.7 million gallons per day. He said the Riverbank regional recycled water project is at about 60% design, expected to be complete in May, and will add upgrades including grit removal, an oxidation ditch, secondary clarifiers, filtration and UV disinfection; the intent is to sell recycled water to adjacent farmers during the irrigation season to reduce groundwater pumping.

He also described fleet operations: one mechanic services more than 50 vehicles and 20 large pieces of equipment as well as smaller tools.

Mayor Hernandez and other council members thanked Bridgewater and the staff for the presentation and praised response times on pothole repairs and other service calls.