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Strand presents $43M water-system master plan to Port Washington board; recommends consolidated booster, tower rehabilitation
Summary
Strand Associates told the Port Washington Board of Public Works on Jan. 13 that the city’s draft 20-year water-system capital plan is an opinion of probable cost of roughly $43 million and recommends a consolidated booster station, rehabilitation of the Thomas Tower and an asset-management approach to prioritize mains.
PORT WASHINGTON — Consultants from Strand Associates presented a draft water system master plan to the Board of Public Works on Jan. 13, outlining a 20-year capital improvement plan with an opinion of probable cost of about $43 million and specific recommendations to address aging infrastructure.
Ben (Strand) summarized system basics and condition findings, and Sydney Morgan, a key engineer on the study, said the city’s 4 million gallons-per-day treatment plant has sufficient capacity under most growth scenarios but that distribution-system improvements are needed.
“Storage volume is adequate,” Sydney said, but added that the Thomas Tower “is kind of peppered with repair patches,” and recommended a full coating rehabilitation — sandblast to bare metal and repaint — rather than piecemeal spot repairs.
Why it matters: The master plan frames capital spending priorities and identifies where the city should invest to maintain pressure, fire flow and reliability across the distribution system. Several projects identified are TID-eligible and will interact with developer-funded work and loan-funded treatment-plant upgrades.
Key recommendations and findings: - Consolidated booster station: Strand recommended replacing the aging Oakland and Sunset booster stations with a single consolidated station and a distribution facility. The firm identified a site on West Oakland Avenue next to the existing booster as the highest-ranked option among several alternatives. - Tower rehabilitation: The Thomas Tower needs a full coating rehabilitation; Mineral Springs tank interior coatings also show interior rust that warrants targeted work. - Pressure management and fire flow: Modeling shows most hydrants meet DNR-required 500 gallons per minute at 20 psi now, with one future hydrant near Parkview Lane requiring monitoring and potential replacement with 8-inch main at time of replacement. - Distribution facility: Strand advised a separate distribution garage (TID 5 eligible) to store materials and vehicles; most peer lakeshore utilities locate distribution at a separate site. - Asset management: The firm recommended an asset-management approach to prioritize water-main replacement and coordinate with road projects, with less than ~2% of mains rated unserviceable but about 9% showing moderate or significant deterioration.
Cost and timing: The draft CIP’s opinion of probable cost is roughly $43,000,000 (planning-stage estimate, -20%/+30% tolerance) and includes a $10 million placeholder for a potential future water-treatment-plant expansion. Near-term actions recommended include booster-station site selection, water-tower maintenance/contract review and targeted rehabilitation planning this year.
Next steps: Strand asked for direction on booster-station siting so design can begin and recommended field verification of hydrant flows and continued monitoring of growth before committing to water-treatment-plant expansion.
Speakers at the board asked for more detail on cost components and emphasized the need for a plan-driven approach to avoid reactive spending on aging components.
