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Engineers warn of deteriorating sewer‑plant infrastructure; jury awaits Water Sector Commission decision on grant extension
Summary
Consultants told the engineering committee that several treatment-plant components are failing and that the parish has petitioned the state Water Sector Commission for a grant extension; engineers estimated tens of thousands in immediate material and pump costs and recommended waiting for the commission’s decision before changing the bid package.
Parish engineers and outside consultants briefed the engineering committee on the status of multiple wastewater treatment‑plant projects and urged caution pending an expected decision from the Water Sector Commission.
Duane Veyon of GIS Engineering reported on bid openings and hydraulic analysis timing for the Constant Canal area. Joe Geller of Planner Design Group said Garrow Street permitting and historic‑resource mitigation are essentially complete and the project is awaiting permit sign-off.
Representatives from Infiniti Engineering and consultants on the Sewell/plant improvement projects told jurors they were nearly finished preparing stamped drawings and cost breakdowns but that the parish planned to petition the Water Sector Commission for an extension. Brian (consultant) said the parish planned to seek an extension and that consultants would try to attend the commission meeting; he emphasized the parish should have engineering representation present because commission staff give weight to technical testimony.
Engineering staff and one operations speaker described rapidly deteriorating infrastructure at parish plants: a materials subtotal of roughly $52,500 in parts was cited for immediate needs (materials-only estimate), and pump replacement for several sites could reach about $90,000, not including labor. Band‑aid repairs are recurring, including recent panel and blower/motor replacements with costs discussed in the thousands of dollars per incident. Committee members debated whether to remove one plant (referred to in discussion as the Virginia plant) from the current bid package if the Water Sector Commission does not extend the program; if the commission declines extension, the plant would be excluded from the bid package and the other sites would proceed.
The committee agreed to wait for the Water Sector Commission’s decision before making final contract amendments and to have someone from the engineering team attend the commission meeting; engineers also requested clear bidding timelines should the extension be denied.
Provenance: engineering updates and discussion about the Water Sector Commission and cost breakdowns appear in the Infinity/Infiniti briefing and committee conversation (Infiniti/consultant updates and Q&A).
