Boise Public Works outlines multi‑year push to rebuild water renewal system, pivot to recycled water

Boise City public works staff told the Public Works Commission on Aug. 20 that the city is stepping up planning and program management to deliver a large portfolio of water renewal projects — including major work at Lander Street and West Boise and an initial design for a new recycled‑water facility.

At a meeting presentation, Steve Burgos, public works director, said the city is preparing to link project delivery with rate and CIP discussions in coming months and to bring community engagement work — including a proposed Community Climate Action Group — into future commission briefings. "We're proposing that our next session, we would like to cover, the Community Climate Action Group," Burgos said, describing the mayor's request to broaden public participation in climate action efforts.

Haley Faulkner, deputy director of water renewal services, summarized the scale of the utility: five sites, about 1,000 miles of pipelines, 29 pump/lift stations, more than 200 staff and an approximate replacement value staff currently estimate at $3,000,000,000. "It is a substantial investment and a substantial set of infrastructure on behalf of the community that we manage," Faulkner said. She noted that the city is updating its utility plan to remain adaptive to condition, capacity and regulatory drivers.

Lisonbee "Ali" Hornack, utility planning manager for water renewal, described the drivers that are converging on the utility: aging assets (some collection pipes date to the 1800s), increasing regulatory expectations tied to river and groundwater protection and construction‑market pressures that have raised costs. Hornack said the city is pursuing integrated planning with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as a tool for aligning environmental benefit and community affordability.

Josh Baker, programs senior manager, described the city’s shift from project‑by‑project delivery to a program management structure aimed at improving capital throughput, risk tracking and cross‑project coordination. "We have the utility up above, and the utility is really focused on the planning," Baker said, describing program managers aligned to Lander Street, West Boise and the recycled water program. He said the programmatic approach has enabled monthly reporting to senior leadership and the ability to reallocate funds internally to address project‑level cost pressures.

Staff gave program updates: Lander Street remains the largest ongoing effort, with a currently under‑construction phase estimated at $265,000,000 to replace the plant's middle (primary/secondary clarification and fermentation). West Boise has two major projects in design/construction that staff estimate at about $140,000,000 combined, including secondary capacity work and partial UV replacement; a tertiary treatment project is tracked in preliminary design. The recycled water program has acquired a site near Eisenman Road (near the WinCo distribution center) and is in preliminary design and pilot analysis to evaluate recharge and reuse options.

Baker and Faulkner highlighted early program successes: Lander Street phase 1 (completed in 2022) came in more than $2 million under budget, the city has stood up an in‑house program team (about 10 staff) after consultant support, and phase 2 is currently tracking under budget. They also said the utility now manages roughly 10 major CIP projects and 20–30 smaller repair and maintenance projects simultaneously, a major increase from prior years.

Commissioners pressed staff on several operational issues that intersect with delivery: coordination with Ada County Highway District and other right‑of‑way users to limit repeated street disruptions; how the collections (pipelines) program prioritizes replacements; communications and community engagement for construction projects; and workforce development to recruit and retain trades and engineering staff. Burgos and Faulkner said staff are expanding community engagement and workforce training work and emphasized closer coordination with ACHD and other utilities at the staff level.

Staff framed short‑term adjustments the utility is making in response to market pressures: scope reviews, phased construction, risk registers and procurement strategies for long‑lead equipment. Hornack noted national indicators staff track — including a roughly 50% national increase in construction costs since 2020 — and said local construction inflation in the Boise area is at or above that level for many projects.

Commissioners also raised ancillary items discussed in the meeting: high attendance at the remodeled Watershed exhibit (many families and homeschool groups attracted by free admission), questions about customer billing processes and the city's compost drop‑off pilot (staff said the compost sites have been tidy and staff are evaluating expansion). Faulkner said staff plans to return with an updated capital plan (CIP) and an associated financial plan for FY‑26 and beyond.

The commission did not take any regulatory decisions or adopt ordinances during the water renewal presentation; the meeting included routine motions to approve minutes and to adjourn. Staff said future commission briefings will include recycled water/groundwater recharge analysis, a CIP update and community engagement plans.

Ending: Staff asked commissioners for topics they want emphasized in upcoming briefings; commissioners requested more detail on collections prioritization, coordination with ACHD and communication plans for major construction projects. Faulkner and Baker said those topics will inform the next return presentation on the capital plan and program delivery.