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Service Authority approves well‑drilling extension and extra UV bulbs after audits and permit issues
Summary
The King George County Service Authority authorized two change orders: continued drilling at Potomac Landing up to 550 feet under contractor unit pricing, and a $28,547.05 amendment to finish replacement UV bulbs at Dahlgren Wastewater Treatment Plant; both items passed by roll call.
The King George County Service Authority board authorized two change orders at its meeting: (1) a change order allowing Toronto Well and Pump to continue drilling at Potomac Landing up to 550 feet if necessary to find a suitable production zone, using the contractor’s unit pricing, and (2) a $28,547.05 purchase-order amendment to add four UV disinfection bulbs and associated hardware to complete the second bank at the Dahlgren Wastewater Treatment Plant. Both actions passed by roll call.
Why it matters: county staff and the authority emphasized both actions respond to unforeseen field conditions and earlier engineering errors. At the Potomac Landing site, the driller encountered low-permeability material near the originally bid depth (380 feet); the contractor agreed to honor unit pricing for additional footage, with an authority motion authorizing continued drilling not to exceed 550 feet. The board voted in favor, with one supervisor expressing reservations but supporting the measure so drilling could proceed on a unit-price basis rather than re-bid to a deeper fixed depth.
On Dahlgren’s UV system, engineers and operations staff explained that replacement bulbs specified in the plans did not match field measurements — the installed banks require 12 bulbs per bank rather than 10 — and two banks were partly installed. The amendment will allow the vendor to finish the second bank so the plant remains in regulatory compliance; staff said they will pursue reimbursement from the engineering firm for the mismeasurement and are pursuing errors-and-omissions discussions.
The authority also updated the board on operations: routine repairs across several treatment plants, a permanent Total Suspended Solids (TSS) exceedance at Perkins Corner tied to a failing disc filter, and that Perkins Corner and Oakland Park facilities are now under a DEQ consent order; staff said decommissioning plans are in process and more work is needed to complete the Oakland Park PER so it supports financing decisions. Engineers contracted to evaluate Dogwood wastewater plant capacity and nutrient compliance will provide cost estimates and an overview of upgrades required to meet DEQ targets.
In audit business presented earlier, auditors issued an unmodified (clean) opinion on the Service Authority financials for the year ended June 30, 2024 and reported no significant deficiencies in internal control for the authority. The Service Authority reported increased net position and operating income for the year; authority staff said a line-of-credit drawdown was paid off after year-end and will appear in FY25 results.
Ending: The authority directed staff to negotiate reimbursement paths with engineers for the UV mismeasurement, to proceed with the well drilling under the authorized unit pricing and depth cap, and to continue staged decommissioning planning for Perkins Corner and Oakland Park under the DEQ consent order.
