Fairhope utilities report: record winter gas sales, ongoing force-main and cast-iron replacement projects

City utility staff briefed council on operational performance during recent cold weather and provided project updates for gas, sewer, water and electric systems.

Gas and electric operations: A utility presenter said the gas system “performed very well in this recent cold weather” and that the city sold more gas in recent days than at any previous recorded time. The presenter added that the city hit winter peak electricity loads above the summer peak, noting transformers overloaded in a few places but overall system resilience due to recent substation investments.

Sewer projects and force mains: Sewer staff described several major projects in design or preconstruction, including a new 12-inch force main running from Windmill to Fairhope Avenue to shift load away from the Thompson Hall lift station; a long run from the new Twin Beach lift station north to Church and Fells (design roughly 90% complete); and replacement or bypass work at the Dog House lift station, where crews performed a hot tap and will install a line stop to bypass the station during rebuild. Staff said one force main in a North Mobile area was found to be heavily fouled and choked, requiring a new force main; that work was not budgeted but is within available utility funds.

Cast-iron replacement: Staff reiterated that a multi-year cast-iron water main replacement program is in its engineering phase, with phase 2 engineering and inspection work bundled in current agenda items. Staff clarified the contract continuation and budget numbers, noting approximately $1,000,000 had been spent under phase 1 and that line-item engineering, inspection and GIS fees compose the phase 2 budget.

Water projects: Updates included work at water treatment plant 1 (concrete pads, aerator set, about 15% complete) and plans to drill well number 14 around early March. Tank rehabilitation (Walmart tank and treatment plant 3 tank) and 16-/24-inch transmission mains to create better looped feeds were discussed. Staff said they were coordinating future development and planned alignments to account for potential PUD changes and developer requests.

Operations recognition and staffing: The utilities presenter recognized four employees who completed CDL training and noted continued system growth and routine construction and relocation projects.

SCADA support and engineering agenda items: Staff described agenda items related to engineering contracts, FlowGIS/maintenance and construction digitization, and a contract award for SCADA/remote support with ACS (a support and remote-access arrangement) for wastewater operations. These items were presented as agenda recommendations for the formal council meeting; staff did not record a council vote during the work session.

Ending: Staff said the city will proceed with engineering, final design and bid phases for the described projects and return to council for contractual approvals and budget adjustments as needed.