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Public Works outlines multi-year RO plant build, lift-station replacements and biosolids upgrades
Summary
City staff told the Public Works Advisory Committee on June 25 that a newly set alluvial well house will be finished around late August, a multi-year reverse-osmosis plant replacement has kicked off, and wastewater headworks, grit and sludge-dewatering upgrades are advancing; the aging North Lift station is slated for design this year with possible construction in 2027.
Sean Singer, engineering manager for the water and sewer division, told the Public Works Advisory Committee on June 25 that the city is advancing a package of water and wastewater projects intended to increase reliability and cut operating costs.
Singer said crews recently set the new alluvial well house at the water-plant site and that contractors will next run yard piping and electrical work; he said the alluvial well project is "scheduled to be done around late August." The city also kicked off a reverse-osmosis and water-plant improvement project this month; Singer described the RO work as "a pretty good sized project" that is expected to take "a couple years to build." He showed manufacturer images of the RO units and said the project includes replacement of chemical-feed systems, pump improvements and SCADA integration.
At the plant, staff are scoping a pre-oxidation design with Burns & McDowell to remove iron and manganese earlier in treatment and extend filter run-times, Singer said. On the distribution side, he reported near-complete design of chemical-feed improvements at well station No. 3 (Black & Veatch wrapping bid documents) and a Brookside Forest water-main extension that will tie two 8-inch mains together to provide a redundant supply for that neighborhood.
Singer described several wastewater projects. A solids-handling improvement is under construction, including a new headworks building and upgraded fine screens that staff said will reduce ragging and improve downstream biosolids processing. A grit-system replacement was bid and mobilizing, and a sludge-dewatering study is underway to compare equipment options (existing belt press versus higher-throughput centrifuge); staff expect an equipment-evaluation report in "a month or two" before completing design. He also outlined smaller projects to add ladders and safety tie-offs on B and R tanks and to replace expensive carbon odor scrubbers with bio-scrubbers to lower operating costs.
On collection-system upgrades, Singer said the Prue Creek Lehi Station equalization-basin work is nearing completion pending a DNR permit modification and associated contractor change order to close out the job. He reported multiple lift-station improvements and emphasized that the North Lift station — a 1970 'can-style' structure — is deteriorated and poses confined-space safety concerns. "It's way overdue," Singer said; staff plan to fund design this year and are considering construction in 2027, with analysis to determine rehab versus full replacement.
Committee members asked technical and budget questions during a substantial Q&A period. Singer responded about options to keep an existing structure for high-flow events versus building a separate station for daily flows, the operational benefits of the pre-oxidation upgrade, and the protective purposes of epoxy or CIPP linings in manholes. He also explained the reasoning behind actuator relocations from wet wells to extend equipment life.
The committee received the update; no formal action was taken on the capital projects during the meeting. Singer closed by noting the combination of projects is intended to improve reliability and reduce operating cost pressures across the water and wastewater systems.
