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Water Utility Trust ratifies emergency leak contracts, approves Heffner sludge-lagoon cleanup
Summary
At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Oklahoma City Water Utility Trust ratified emergency contracts to address multiple distribution-system leaks and approved a contract to remove remaining sludge from a damaged lagoon at the Heffner water treatment plant.
Oklahoma City Water Utility Trust on Jan. 14, 2025 ratified emergency construction work to address multiple leaks in the city's water distribution system and approved a separate contract to remove remaining sludge from a damaged lagoon at the Heffner Water Treatment Plant.
The actions were taken by voice vote during the trust's regular meeting after staff described urgent system problems and a recently completed competitive bid for the Heffner lagoon work. "We are experiencing quite a few leaks in our water distribution system, so we hired two contractors to help us catch up," said Mr. Browning, general manager, explaining that cold weather led him to issue notices to proceed before formal ratification. The board voted to ratify that decision.
On item 6, trustees approved an addendum awarding a contract to remove sludge from a backlog at Heffner. Browning said the work followed an earlier emergency response to a short circuit in one sludge lagoon and that the formal bid award for complete sludge removal "did come in well under the estimated cost of the project." Trustees voted to approve the award.
Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes (Dec. 17, 2024): approved by voice vote. - Consent docket (plans/specs, pricing agreements, amendments, change orders): approved by voice vote. - Concurrence docket (three items): approved by voice vote. - Resolution ratifying emergency construction contracts to address distribution leaks: approved; ratified staff-issued notices to proceed to two contractors. - Ratify addendum No. 1 and award contract for sludge lagoon improvements at Heffner Water Treatment Plant: approved; bid came in under estimate.
Discussion vs. decision Trustees gave formal approval to each item listed above. The emergency-resolution vote formally ratified the general manager's prior issuance of notices to proceed; the Heffner award followed a solicitation and award process described by staff. No dollar amounts, contractor names, or vote tallies by trustee name were provided in the public transcript.
Background and next steps Staff said the emergency notices were prompted by a cluster of leaks and by cold-weather conditions that necessitated quicker mobilization than standard procurement timelines usually allow. For the Heffner sludge-lagoon work, staff reported an earlier emergency repair to one lagoon and that the current contract covers complete removal of remaining sludge; staff said the bid results were substantially below the project's estimated cost. The trust did not state specific implementation dates or contract amounts during the meeting.
Trustees had no additional items from trustees during the meeting and moved to the general manager reports after these actions.
