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DPU water division reports valve‑bolt corrosion, PRV rehabilitations and upgraded reclaimed water storage
Summary
DPU deputy manager Clay Mosley reported on corrosion of valve bolts linked to road salts, a major PRV rehabilitation program, freeze‑related repairs, a 1‑million‑gallon bio‑storage tank completion and upgraded class 1A reclaimed water availability.
Clay Mosley, deputy utility manager for gas, water and sewer operations, briefed the Board of Public Utilities on annual operations and capital activity for the county’s water systems on March 5.
Mosley said the distribution system’s key issues are age and corrosion. Several transmission‑line and valve failures this year were linked to corroded valve bolts and cast‑iron pipe that has reached expected service life; DPU crews replaced valve hardware and began a PRV (pressure‑reducing valve) rehabilitation program. Mosley described a major valve‑hardware replacement project in a neighborhood (described in the presentation as Kimasan) that followed an April rupture and required replacing bolt hardware with stainless steel across many valves.
Mosley said crews also performed an island‑wide fire‑hydrant testing program with the fire department and that the department has begun more systematic PRV rehabilitations after testing revealed problem areas. He said freeze events in January led to additional work on newer parts of town and that some third‑party construction work on capital projects contributed to service interruptions the crew addressed.
On production and nonpotable reuse, Mosley said the county completed a nearly 1,000,000‑gallon bioreclaimed water storage tank and upgraded treatment so reclaimed effluent now meets class 1A quality for irrigation. He said the White Rock water reclamation facility and Los Alamos wastewater treatment plant filtration improvements allowed the system to sell more reclaimed water; staff added potable blending capability so parks and fields can be watered without impacting potable supplies when needed.
Mosley also told the board that due to proximity to a chromium plume, staff suspended operation of Pareto Well 3 while regulators and consultants evaluate the plume; staff continue to monitor sampling results and attend state remediation meetings. He reported that a pilot replacement of resistive heaters with heat‑pump units at certain well stations reduced winter heating costs and freezing risk and that SCADA and fiber upgrades are planned over roughly an 18–24 month timeline to enable more automated, data‑driven pumping.
Mosley said capital and O&M budgets have increased with inflation and additional capital activity; staff and the board discussed targeting priority main replacements in coordination with public‑works road projects and continued grant and low‑interest loan pursuit to fund large transmission‑line upgrades. No formal board action was taken on the update; the presentation was informational.
