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Council approves $29,300 service for wastewater dewatering centrifuge; possible extra parts could raise cost
Summary
Council approved a manufacturer-performed major service of the wastewater plant's dewatering centrifuge; staff warned additional defective parts could raise the cost above the base amount and that service may cause short, scheduled disruption for hauled waste.
The Ellsworth City Council approved funds for a manufacturer-conducted major service on the wastewater department's dewatering centrifuge, a routine overhaul the utility schedules roughly every three years.
Public Works Director Mike Harris said the city processes about 6,000,000 gallons through the centrifuge annually and that the manufacturer, GEA Westfalia, performs the proprietary major service. "We do it every 3 years... we have 1 centrifuge... we're up around 6,000,000 gallons through it a year," Harris said, explaining why the manufacturer — not a third party — must perform the work.
The council approved an expenditure of $29,300 from the wastewater department capital improvement account for the major service. Harris warned the final cost could increase if the manufacturer discovers defective parts when it disassembles the machine; the last major service resulted in an unexpected additional bill of roughly $80,000, he said.
Harris said the work is typically done in the off season and that staff take steps to avoid interruptions: the plant uses storage tanks and schedules the service when hauled-waste traffic is low. "It's probably a 1 or 2 day disruption unless something weird happens," he said, and added that in many cases the plant can avoid any service disruption to hauled waste.
Council discussion covered why the manufacturer must perform the work, the frequency of the service and whether a more frequent schedule would lower costs; Harris said parts and labor dominate the expense and a shorter interval would likely not reduce the total outlay.
A motion to approve the expenditure carried; the council asked staff to notify haulers and post notice once dates are set.
