Council approves immediate fix at Bob Darrington plant and a larger condition assessment contract

The Odessa City Council approved two items related to the Bob Darrington Water Reclamation Plant on Feb. 25: a change order for immediate repairs and a separate professional-services contract to evaluate the plant’s condition and plan long-term options.

Utilities staff described an urgent operational problem at the plant’s contact basin No. 2: a damaged 10-inch plug valve used to drain the contact basin is unable to operate and staff must manually plug the drain daily. Alex (utilities) said the basin holds about 5,000,000 gallons and that the broken valve prevents staff from returning sludge to the aeration basins, which in turn is affecting effluent water quality.

Council approved a change order to the current contractor to replace the valve and restore normal sludge-handling capability; staff said the funds ($106,630) are available in the water/wastewater repair-and-replacement budget.

Separately, the council authorized a professional-services agreement with an engineering firm to perform a condition assessment, process evaluation and master plan for the entire plant. Utilities reported the contract will not exceed $1,581,000 and that the money is budgeted from plant/pioneer funds. Staff said the assessment will outline options — from phased repairs to full replacement — and produce cost estimates and design recommendations.

Both measures passed by council vote. Staff said the immediate valve replacement will reduce operational risk, while the condition assessment will guide decisions on future capital work and larger rehabilitation or replacement projects.