Lafayette Water Works approves on-call agreement, disinfection design task order and lead-line extension

The Lafayette City board approved several Water Works items brought by Steve Moore, including a 2026 updated master on-call services agreement with Wessler Engineering, a task order to design a change in the system’s disinfection method and to add disinfection at two booster stations, and Amendment No. 1 to extend the lead service-line replacement contract through April 26.

Moore said the master services agreement replaces the on-call agreement originally signed in 2015; Andrew Gordon of Wessler confirmed the update primarily reflects changes in the fee schedule and rates rather than substantive contract-language changes. The board approved the agreement by voice vote.

Under task order No. 1, Wessler will prepare design drawings and specifications to obtain permit approval from IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) to replace the on-site sodium hypochlorite generation system at Canal Road Water Treatment Plant with purchased sodium hypochlorite (12.5% available chlorine) and to add disinfection at the Columbian Park and Murdoch Park booster stations. Moore described maintenance problems with the on-site generator, including failures and leaks, and said the generator’s original manufacturer went out of business. The change requires IDEM permitting; Moore and Gordon said the change would likely require modifications to existing equipment and some capital expenses, and that staff planned to reuse as much equipment as possible to minimize cost. The board approved the task order by voice vote.

Moore also presented Amendment No. 1 to Wessler’s contract for lead service-line replacements, extending the contract completion date by roughly three months to April 26 with no change in contract cost. Moore reported 468 of 867 service lines have been replaced to date and noted earlier delays tied to material availability and rights-of-entry. The board approved the amendment by voice vote.

Moore said the city’s work on lead-line replacement positioned Lafayette to access SRF funding and that lessons learned in the initial phase should streamline subsequent phases. The record did not include detailed cost breakdowns for the capital expenses associated with the disinfection system change or a specific completion date for the disinfection project pending IDEM approvals.