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Columbia City staff report on brown-water complaints, wastewater plant work and tornado-siren repairs
Summary
City staff told the Columbia City Common Council on Oct. 28, 2025, that recent brown-water complaints are commonly tied to well-water iron, that the wastewater plant’s digester lining is complete and passed biomonitoring, and that tornado-siren battery boxes have arrived and will be replaced soon.
City public-works and utilities staff updated the Columbia City Common Council on multiple operational items at the Oct. 28 meeting.
Utilities staff reported recent brown-water complaints and said well water’s naturally high iron content can settle in mains and service lines, causing discoloration. Staff urged residents to report brown water by calling the utility office so crews can investigate locations and flush lines; they cautioned that social-media posts without location information limit the city’s ability to respond. Staff described internal diagnostic testing and said crews are performing both upstream and downstream testing around meters to identify whether lead, copper or plastic service lines are involved.
On wastewater operations, staff said Spectra Tech completed lining a digester and that the annual biomonitoring report showed a 100% pass for test species. Staff reported that previously noted ammonia issues have been addressed and that contractor Grey Wolf is scheduled to return Nov. 10 to install a Daxor cover and complete the remaining installation work.
Fire and public-safety staff reported receipt of replacement battery boxes for tornado sirens and that they expect to complete replacements soon. Fire staff also reported vehicle-repair needs and quoted equipment estimates for station repairs; staff described a recent live-fire training event used by a county firefighter 1 and 2 class.
Council members and staff repeatedly urged residents to call city utilities to report problems with water or sewer service so crews can locate and remedy the issue rather than relying solely on social media reports.
