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Public Works details completed projects, regulatory cleanups and capital needs including wastewater clarifier rebuilds and airport expansion
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Summary
Public Works reported completion of a dewater expansion, 1,148 metric tons of biosolids transported, an EPA audit with six of seven findings closed, upcoming clarifier rebuilds estimated at about $1.4 million, and a 5,000-square-foot airport terminal expansion largely funded by FAA grants.
Public Works staff summarized a year of maintenance work, regulatory inspections and capital projects that city leaders may see in upcoming budgets.
"We've got 9 divisions here that we're gonna be going through and talking about some of the accomplishments and the projects that we've completed," Ryan said, opening the department's report.
Wastewater: staff reported the dewater expansion project is complete (a second dewatering screw press added for redundancy) and noted a slip-lining repair avoided heavy excavation after they discovered a collapsing pipe. The department transported 1,148 metric tons of biosolids to the landfill and said seasonal spreading reduces haul weight and cost. An EPA audit produced seven findings; staff said six have been closed. UDWQ stormwater and wastewater audits reported zero findings and the city had no discharge-permit exceedances.
Capital needs at the plant include rebuilding two clarifiers last rehabbbed in 1995; staff estimated the work at about $1,400,000 and said it will likely be requested in next year’s or the following year’s budget. Ryan described an effluent-reuse filtration project now underway and reported the plant's build-out capacity is 4,800,000 gallons per day; he reported the current level as "3.25" (the transcript did not specify a unit for that figure).
Collections and sewer work: crews cleaned 62 miles of sewer line and videotaped over 70 miles; they replaced 1,100 feet of a 200 South line and found a sag on Sunset Drive that could have affected about 22 homes. Ryan said the department has identified nearly 200 manholes on a trunk line needing rehabilitation and described the Iron Springs lift station project sized to handle about 5 MGD with roughly 3 miles of 16-inch pressured sewer pipe.
Water systems: staff reported BLM test-well work that brought one test well to culinary standards, near-complete Neptune radio-meter changeouts (99% complete) to enable remote reads and customer access to usage data, and a temporary chlorination fix at Cross Hollow pending solar-panel delivery. A booster-station and chlorination project driven by a state mandate is in design and RFP stages and will involve coordination with the Water Conservancy District.
Streets and stormwater: streets crews chipsealed 27 miles of road (seven-year rotation), processed about 40 sidewalk work orders and replaced 3,900 feet of sidewalk. The department rented a crusher for Canyon View Detention Basin work, producing road base and chip material and saving a substantial portion of the originally budgeted rock purchase. Storm-drain crews cleaned 13 of 19 detention basins, graded flood channels and completed the Nichols Canyon channel realignment (680 feet); Coal Creek fortification was completed with NRCS support.
Airport and transit: the commercial terminal expansion (about 5,000 square feet) was completed with FAA grant funding (staff said 97% covered). Runway pavement maintenance and snow-removal equipment purchases were similarly highly subsidized by FAA grants. Staff said they have applied for an FAA tower-grant program and will await grant outcomes and any required environmental review. Katz transit ridership rose to about 19,000 annual rides from pandemic lows and fleet maintenance staff reported managing 393 vehicles and completing 1,770 repair orders; fleet software used for dispatch/maintenance is obsolete and a web-based replacement is being evaluated.
Operational improvements and technology: staff installed new gas detection in chlorine storage, truck cameras for solid-waste vehicles to assist with claims and safety reviews, and are implementing a safety-management system at the airport required for recent traffic levels.
Ryan closed by inviting council members to an inspection walk-through of the refurbished Public Works building once final inspections are complete.
Next steps: Ryan said staff will bring budget requests for clarifier rebuilds and other capital items as proposals, continue pursuing FAA and other grants, and advance RFP work for the booster-chlorination project.
