Columbia County staff asked the committee to approve two related water-system actions: an independent contractor agreement with Dukes Root Control to perform inflow and infiltration studies in the Jones Creek area and an urgent valve purchase to keep a scheduled waterline cleaning project on schedule.

Speaker 8 explained that inflow and infiltration into sewer lines is overwhelming pump stations in Jones Creek; Dukes Root Control will deploy flow devices and level sensors and provide a report identifying locations that need repair. The contract is budgeted in the county general operating budget for $64,999.58 and staff recommended approval.

Separately, Speaker 8 described an expedited order of six valves (two 30‑inch, two 24‑inch and two 20‑inch) at a total cost of $203,750 after the originally planned supplier had not delivered the long‑lead items in time. Speaker 8 said the valves will be usable in other projects if not needed for the February waterline cleaning start and that the county will account for the cost against contract funds. The committee approved both items on consent; the transcript does not record roll-call tallies.

The transcript notes that the county ordered six valves for immediate needs and that the overall project contains more valves (an estimated 20–30 total), but it does not list all project procurement details or identify the vendor used for the emergency order.