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Consultants present Llano water CIP, highlight pressure management and line replacements
Summary
Llano City Council heard a presentation on the city's water Capital Improvement Plan, which prioritizes pressure reduction and targeted line replacements to address leaks and aging infrastructure.
Llano City Council heard a presentation on the city's water system Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) from consulting engineers with Stickerzell on the city's existing capacity, projected growth and prioritized projects. Aaron Lofton of Stickerzell said the firm used historical population trends, hydraulic modeling and staff interviews to identify maintenance and replacement needs across the system.
Lofton said the consultants found portions of the system with sustained high static pressure and identified pressure-reducing valves and pressure-management improvements as the top priority. "The number 1 priority project we have on our list is adding PRVs, doing pressure plant improvements in the system," Lofton said, adding that lowering system pressure reduces leaks and long-term replacement costs.
The presentation showed that the city presently exceeds TCEQ storage and pumping minimums but still contains many older AC and small-diameter lines that require phased replacement. The consultants presented a proposed project map of prioritized waterline replacements (mostly AC pipe) and a list of projects that include design, contingencies and soft costs. The consultant also recommended upgrades to SCADA (communications/software) and several variable frequency drives (VFDs) for pump control.
Lofton reported a budget estimate for the listed water projects as presented in the meeting materials and noted staff would coordinate with the city's budget adviser for financial planning. He also said a wastewater CIP is underway and will be presented to council in about three to six months once final inspections and field data are complete.
Councilmembers asked for clarification on the CCN (certificate of convenience and necessity) service area and on how the growth projections were developed. Lofton explained the team used a modest historical average growth rate (about 0.49%) and ran an upper/lower band scenario in the hydraulic model to test future demands. He said the CIP list covers maintenance-driven replacements and capacity upgrades with projects ranked by priority.
The city will review the CIP project list and cost estimates with its budget staff; consultants said the water and wastewater lists will be used for multi-year budgeting and capital planning.
