Sedalia utilities director outlines water demand surge, meter replacements and wastewater plant consolidation plans
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Summary
Utilities Director William Bracken told council water demand has risen about 40% over four years, outlined a multi-year meter replacement program, and described plans to consolidate wastewater treatment by expanding the central plant and shutting the north plant while pursuing a CMAR procurement process.
Utilities Director William Bracken presented the city's water and wastewater strategic budget and capital priorities on Dec. 15.
Bracken said water demand has increased roughly 40% over four years and that the system draws from six wells at the treatment plant plus four distribution wells. He described an ongoing water-meter replacement effort — roughly 500 meters per year as crews work toward replacing older AMCO meters that are reaching 20–25 years of expected life — and said the replacement work and an increase in service digs have driven workload increases for field staff.
For wastewater, Bracken reported the system processed about 1,600,000,000 gallons in the prior 12 months and said dry weather had limited some inflows. He described recent equipment upgrades at the central plant (a completed aeration project and a newly installed press that eliminates the need to rent pressing equipment) and said the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the EPA have required updates to the city's pretreatment program after a consent order related to the north plant.
To balance industrial-user costs and residential ratepayer impacts, Bracken said the city plans to propose pretreatment fees to recover sampling and administration costs; he noted that testing costs exceed the proposed fees and that requiring pretreatment could reduce the capital cost of a potential new treatment plant by cutting industrial load on the system.
On capital planning, Bracken said staff are evaluating either expanding the central plant and shutting the north plant (leaving a pump station at the north site) or building a new north plant. The city plans to use a construction manager at-risk (CMAR) procurement approach to involve contractors earlier in the design process, which staff expect will generate savings during design and construction. Bracken said the city has rebid the engineering selection and planned to select an engineering firm and CMAR contractor during the design phase.
Council members asked about the project timeline and staffing. Bracken said design and engineer selection should be settled by the end of the year and confirmed at least two field positions are currently open in the collections and water distribution teams.
No formal action was taken; Bracken’s presentation will inform FY2026 budget and project procurement decisions.
