Operations and capital projects update: reservoirs, PLC upgrades, Countryside wheeling and Shannon Road boosters

Utility operations staff provided a broad operations and capital improvement update covering maintenance, equipment upgrades and multi‑partner pipeline and booster work.

Operations overview: staff said the utility has 24 certified operators, roughly 47 active sites, about 375 miles of main (staff described expansion), about 2,400 fire hydrants, roughly 8,600 mainline valves and more than 21,000 metered service connections. The operations team also manages reclaimed water sites and system SCADA monitoring, compliance sampling and daily system operations.

Reservoir inspections and maintenance: staff described an ongoing three‑year rotating reservoir inspection program using certified divers who chlorinate and dive to inspect interior conditions and remove debris. The utility also inspects and replaces sacrificial anodes and applies interior coatings where needed; staff said corrosion is concentrated in the top few feet of tank interiors where a chlorine‑rich vapor can create a corrosive environment. Interior inspections are being prioritized over exterior coating work to stay within current capital budgets.

Electrical/controls and equipment projects: staff reported a PLC and station control panel upgrade program on schedule for completion; two in‑house built panels for Water Plant 13 and 15 were ready for factory‑authorized testing. A well rehabilitation at a site referred to as Well C‑5 was completed and the discharge piping that had been corroded was fully replaced.

Countryside wheeling station: staff described a motor‑operated valve installation and telemetry/PLC programming that will use wheeled CAP water to fill reservoirs during off‑peak hours without running local boosters. The valve will be constrained in software so it cannot fully open while boosters are running; the control logic is designed to maintain distribution pressures and prevent pumping water directly into service when boosters are online.

Shannon Road and boosters (NWRDS partnership): staff said the Shannon Road booster and reservoir work is nearly complete, piping to Tangerine and Naranja is tied in, and the project includes blending lines and new booster stations to move NWRDS water into higher zones such as La Cañada. Staff said modeling reduced the need to construct an additional long transmission main by using existing distribution links, saving costs. The commission heard that the town is managing the partner portion of the project and preparing a guaranteed maximum price for the Oro Valley‑led booster portion.

Smaller projects and procurement risks: Town staff said several projects (Nakoma/Nakoma Sky well and Steam Pump well equipping) are on hold pending confirmed guaranteed maximum prices and that material price volatility, tariffs and long lead times have introduced procurement risk. Staff said some capital projects would be carried into the next fiscal year because of delivery delays.

The commission discussed the work and maintenance priorities; staff said replacement wells and reservoir lifecycle work are part of longer‑term reliability planning but that current operations meet customer service requirements.