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Sewer department requests operating increases and major plant upgrades, including $3.5M headworks replacement
Summary
Sewer operations staff asked council to add operating funds to cover a CPI increase on the Clearwater contract, create an emergency repairs line and to fund multiple capital projects including pump replacements, pump‑station rebuilds, headworks/grit replacement and equipment upgrades at Riverchase and other treatment facilities.
Sewer operations staff presented operating and capital requests focused on maintaining aging collection and treatment infrastructure, increasing flexibility for emergency repairs and replacing end‑of‑life equipment at treatment plants.
On the operating side, staff requested an additional $75,000 to cover a CPI increase for the Clearwater contract (the contract ties increases to CPI and caps them at 5 percent) and an additional $250,000 to fund emergency repairs to gravity mains, which historically were paid from capital rather than operating funds. Staff said those operating additions bring the fiscal‑year 2026 operating request to about $2,325,000.
Sewer staff described several capital projects: a request for $800,000 to replace aging pumps in the collection system and treatment plants; replacement of buried “can stations” (pump stations) to remove electrical components from underground vaults (plans and specs complete, asking for construction and construction‑inspection funding estimated at $850,000 for one station); and a large headworks and grit system replacement at the Riverchase plant presented at approximately $3,500,000 to replace obsolete equipment and restore automated handling of rags and grit. Staff said parts for much of the existing headworks were difficult to source and that some equipment has reached end of life.
Other items included replacement of backwash media in sand filters (vendor contact noted with Veolia), phased upgrades of obsolete control panels across pump stations (to improve reliability and extend equipment life), replacement of the blower‑room roof at Riverchase ($200,000), an inflow and infiltration study (last done in 2008) to target groundwater infiltration, and repairs to above‑ground plumbing at drying beds.
On operational risk, staff said the collection system operates continuously: “This system runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” and emphasized that aging assets and obsolete parts increase exposure to service interruptions. Staff also reported some projects already in procurement (pre‑bid for Riverchase No. 1) and said one recent project came in under estimate while another is near budget.
Why it matters: the requested capital work targets core treatment and collection functions that staff said are necessary to maintain permit compliance, reduce spill risk and avoid higher‑cost emergency repairs.
Questions from council asked whether the contractor who operates certain functions designed the improvements (staff said design work was done in‑house and the city will solicit external consultants for construction) and whether multi‑year risk‑based plans exist (staff said a current plan is dated and that a modern multi‑year prioritization has not been fully funded).
Speakers quoted are drawn from the transcript and identified in the speakers list below.
