Council hears $20M water/wastewater maintenance plan and 8/25 pressure‑zone project status

City public‑services staff presented a detailed water and wastewater maintenance briefing Monday that outlined a single‑year capital program of roughly $20 million, progress on the 08/25 pressure‑zone project and ongoing work to meet federal and state drinking‑water requirements.

The presentation, led by Brad Bernhardt (assistant director of public services) and Nick Cole (director of capital projects), covered system assets, regulatory work tied to the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), near‑term capital projects and the Clean‑Water/CMOM‑driven wastewater work.

Why this matters: water and wastewater maintenance and regulatory compliance drive portions of the city’s utility rate considerations. The city is nearing completion of a major pressure‑zone project that staff say increases treated‑water capacity and frees funding for other capital needs.

Water highlights and compliance work Brad Bernhardt told the council Richardson currently can produce about 60 million gallons per day; when the 08/25 pressure‑zone pump station is accepted the daily capacity will increase toward 75 million gallons per day. The department reported nearly 600 miles of water main and routine hydrant maintenance with a contractor (about 800 annual hydrants maintained; 160 completed to date in the current cycle).

Staff also described ongoing Lead and Copper Rule compliance tasks. The EPA’s LCRI requires the city to inventory service‑line materials on both public and private sides and publish an interactive map. Brad Bernhardt said the city completed a preliminary inventory and sent roughly 11,000 notices to addresses with an “unknown” service‑line material; staff are conducting a physical inspection program to classify those lines and expect to finish the physical inventory by 2026.

08/25 pressure‑zone project status Nick Cole updated the council on the 08/25 project: a 15 million‑gallon‑per‑day pump station and a 5 million‑gallon ground storage tank. The ground storage tank and a city water line are already in service; the pump station was undergoing commissioning with the transformer expected within weeks and a planned generator delivery later in the calendar year. Point‑of‑construction park amenities and tree plantings are under way and will be completed in phases through late summer and fall.

Wastewater and CMOM work Cole described the city’s Capacity, Management, Operations and Maintenance (CMOM) program — a regional mandate — and summarized wastewater assets: roughly 430 miles of sewer main, 5,430 manholes and five lift stations. He noted work underway including multi‑year pipe rehabs, manhole rehabilitation, smoke testing and a multi‑year Cottonwood Creek trunk main replacement project (high‑end design cost estimates were discussed in the briefing) to replace a 24‑inch aging clay tile line that is under capacity and subject to erosion risk.

The Greenville wastewater and road improvement project will tie a new sewer main to an extensive street reconstruction package on Greenville from Centennial to Huffines and is being scoped as a large utility contractor‑led contract.

Budget context and next steps Bernhardt and Cole said some of the city’s capital funding choices were shifted earlier to complete the 08/25 project, and that as the 08/25 work wraps the capital program will rebalance toward sewer and manhole rehab and trunk main work. The FY26 proposed budget includes continued funding for pipe replacement, manhole rehab and pump‑station work; staff will finalize the maintenance program as water and sewer rates are set alongside the city manager’s proposed budget.

Ending Council members asked clarifying questions about manhole rehabilitation methods, the difference between turbine and ultrasonic meters (staff said ultrasonic meters are more accurate and have fewer moving parts), and whether the city monitors inflow/infiltration reductions after repairs (staff said follow‑up flow monitoring is planned). No formal action was requested; staff said they will proceed with the design and construction schedule and return with updates as projects progress.