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Westerly council approves Jacobs contracts to shore up wastewater system capacity
Summary
The council unanimously approved two Jacobs contracts: purchase/installation of aeration basin media not to exceed $412,478.14 and a hydraulic model for the town's wastewater collection system not to exceed $149,592, with staff citing media decline from 4% to a target ~20% for safe operations during a redesign.
The Westerly Town Council voted unanimously to authorize two engineering contracts with Jacobs to address capacity and treatment issues in the town wastewater system.
Town Manager (Sean) and staff explained that the aeration basin media — plastic media that promotes bacterial breakdown in treatment pools — has degraded to approximately 4 percent of effective volume and needs to be supplemented to about 20 percent to maintain treatment performance while the plant is redesigned. The resolution authorizes the manager to execute a contract with Jacobs for purchase and installation of aeration basin media not to exceed $412,478.14.
A second resolution approved a Jacobs contract to develop a hydraulic model of the town's wastewater collection system, not to exceed $149,592. The manager explained the model will map line size and capacity in the ground and is intended to determine whether sewer lines can handle increased flows from development; the modeling does not itself expand plant treatment capacity but is a necessary planning step.
Council suspended the rules to consider and vote on the items the same evening and approved both measures by voice vote. Councilors stressed the work is part of a staged approach: first mapping line capacity, then evaluating plant upgrades as needed.
Staff noted the last replacement of media was performed in February 2005 and that the two actions are intended to sustain operations during a larger planned redesign.
