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Bay City approves engineering design for Fifth Street waterline replacement
Summary
Council approved Garbers scope of work not to exceed $384,293 to design the full replacement of the deteriorated 12-inch Fifth Street waterline, using available Texas Water Development Board funding; construction is expected to be bid in early 2026.
Bay City council at a workshop meeting approved a scope of services with engineering firm Garber not to exceed $384,293 to design the full replacement of the 12-inch Fifth Street waterline between Avenue G and Norville Avenue.
The move follows a condition assessment that found widespread wall-thickness loss in the line. Jared Sinkowitz of Garber said the HydroMax inspection showed “more than 80% of the existing Fifth Street waterline has lost more than 25% of the original pipe material,” and recommended complete replacement rather than piecemeal repairs.
The recommendation rests in part on available state loan funding. City staff said $4,285,000 remains available from the 2023 Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) drinking-water SRF allocation for related projects. Garbers design-phase fee in the approved scope is $241,230, construction-phase services are estimated at $62,265, and additional local survey and geotechnical work was budgeted at $80,798, for a combined total not to exceed $384,293.
Why it matters: the line is a critical transmission corridor, and staff said a full replacement would reduce recurring repairs and simplify future upgrades. Garbers planning estimate for complete replacement of the 12-inch ductile-iron main is $2,283,000; a selective/partial replacement was estimated at roughly $1.9 million.
Design and schedule details: staff described a streamlined design-review process (30% and 90% reviews rather than a 60% step) to shorten the schedule. The city hopes to put the project out to bid in March–April 2026. Garber estimated construction duration at about 300 days; staff said the contractor would sequence work so that water service remains active and ties and fire plugs are addressed segment-by-segment. The presentation said the proposed replacement pipe would be PVC or HDPE, with an expected useful life on the order of decades (presentation cited about 100 years for modern plastic pipe).
Permits and coordination: presenters said the design team will coordinate early with the railroad, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and TxDOT where crossings and permits are required. Staff cautioned that agreements with third parties could require additional work once agency responses are known; any significant additional costs would be brought back to council.
Council action: a councilmember moved to approve the scope as presented by staff; a second followed. The council approved the scope by voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript; staff recorded the motion as carried.
Next steps: with council approval, Garber will begin the detailed design tasks in their scope and start contacting permitting agencies. Staff said they will return to council if coordination with external agencies creates material new costs or scope changes.
