Hutchinson council approves plans to replace water plant reverse-osmosis membranes

The Hutchinson City Council on Jan. 13 approved resolutions ordering improvements and preparing plans and specifications for a reverse-osmosis membrane replacement at the city’s water treatment plant (Letting No. 3, Project No. 26-3). City staff said the project had been included in the capital improvement plan and was last done in 2019.

Water plant staff explained the membranes perform fine filtration that produces the city’s finished water, removing minerals and sediments that can affect irrigation and household systems. "Membranes provide really our finished water," the staff member said, describing the RO system as a "fine filtration" step between raw and finished water.

Staff told the council the project was budgeted at $400,000 while an initial contractor estimate came in around $360,000; they said they plan to use water-plant reserves to fund the work and do not expect any rate increases. The city plans to advertise the project for bid in the coming weeks, open bids in February and schedule equipment replacement in the fall to avoid peak summer demand. No service disruptions are anticipated during the work.

Council members asked basic operational questions; staff clarified the seven-year rotation for membrane replacement (the city had previously targeted five to six years but has been on a seven-year cycle) and said the change was routine maintenance rather than an emergency repair. After a public hearing with no substantive public comments recorded in the transcript, the council closed the hearing and adopted Resolution Nos. 15977 and 15978 to move the project forward.

Next steps: staff will publish the bid documents, receive proposals in February and return to the council or staff process as required by procurement rules before the fall replacement.