The countys Department of Public Works (DPW) director reported routine operations and a series of infrastructure projects and repairs, including an active water-tank project, wastewater-control upgrades and a suspected flow-meter reading anomaly that staff are investigating.

The DPW director told commissioners the county is on schedule for extensive lawn mowing and equipment maintenance, including repairs to a dump truck and square baler. The director outlined a program to replace or repair broken water-meter readers and noted the county has a handheld reading system that transmits data from meter pads to a truck; several older readers are being sent for warranty repair or replacement.

On water and wastewater infrastructure, the director said a control box that drives the grinder/auger system serving the jail has been repaired and that the county ordered 11 replacement relays for the sand-filtration/septic rotation system after one failed. The DPW director said the grinder and auger are working and that having new relays on hand will reduce future service disruptions.

A flow-meter reading at the end of one quarterly reporting period appeared to show far more volume than the DES discharge permit would allow (the county's DES permit allows approximately 28,000 gallons per day). The director said the state contact allowed the county until Aug. 15 to resolve the issue and refile accurate quarterly numbers after a meter inspection and repair; the county will call the flow-meter vendor to determine the cause and correct the reporting.

The water-tank repair and cleaning contract (referred to as contract number 4 in the discussion) was expected to start around the end of the month and may require draining and repairs that could take 7 to 14 days; the contractor discussed temporary smaller tanks to supply domestic water during the work, but fire-protection volume for the nursing home remains a coordination point staff must resolve before the contractor proceeds with some work.

Other notes: the DPW director said he expects a brush-cutting and road work crew to start work on a hill road by the end of the week and that he had arranged for routine water quality testing and state reports (DBP, CCR). The director invited commissioners to visit the water and sewer facilities for a tour.

Ending: The DPW director will arrange meter and flow-meter repairs, oversee the water-tank contract preparations and return updates to commissioners; staff will coordinate a site tour upon request.