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Daggett County officials press for gravity-bypass to manage groundwater at water treatment plant construction site
Summary
Officials described substantial groundwater at the water treatment plant excavation and discussed a time-sensitive change order to add a gravity bypass to a storm drain, with engineers preparing a cost estimate and staff asking the board to stand ready to approve the work to avoid project delays.
Daggett County Municipal Building Authority members on July 22 were told that substantial groundwater is entering the excavation at the county water treatment plant and that engineers and contractor representatives are recommending a gravity-bypass to the storm drain to keep construction on schedule.
An unidentified project speaker (Speaker 4) told the board the site is ready for floors to be poured but that groundwater inflow has been larger than expected. Staff and engineers recommend relocating the sump pit to the front corner of the building and trenching a 6-inch perforated drain line with a 1% slope to the storm drain so flow can be handled by gravity rather than relying solely on pumps. “Gravity works,” Speaker 3 said during the discussion; Speaker 4 added the proposed arrangement would make the sump the backup rather than the primary mitigation if the system is successful.
The board heard technical details: the elevator pit will be the low point under the slab (about 5 feet deep) and will contain a sump; footing, foundation and slab drains will remain in place; and the exterior trench will include crushed-rock bedding and filtering fabric to keep the perforated pipe from clogging. Speaker 4 said the work requires cutting through some existing asphalt and trenching to in front of the courthouse, but that he does not expect a large change-order cost beyond excavation labor and pipe materials and that the work should be within the project contingency.
Because temporary pumps have failed and water has built up over weekends, staff characterized the change as time-sensitive. Engineers are preparing the formal change-order estimate and staff asked whether the board would be willing to meet virtually or hold a special vote to approve the change order once the price is known, to avoid further construction delays.
The meeting also included a related update about the county clinic site: staff said they retained the best excavated soils for reuse at the rodeo arena and noted fence realignment and advisory-board coordination may be required if soil placement proceeds this season. No public comments were offered on the construction items.
Next steps: engineers will finalize the change-order cost estimate and staff asked the board to be prepared to approve the work quickly, possibly via a special or virtual meeting, so crews can begin trenching and drainage work and allow foundation work to continue.
