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Sewer plant flags aging clarifiers and a plugged drain line; council urged to fund repairs
Summary
Wastewater plant staff said two large clarifiers date from 1996 and their gear mechanisms and steel structures are corroded and at risk; an unexpected plugged 6-inch drain under a slab also requires immediate slip-lining or repair estimated under $70,000.
The wastewater plant manager told the council the plant's primary capital need this year is replacing worn clarifier mechanisms and addressing an urgent underground drain failure.
Plant staff described four clarifiers installed when the facility opened; they said gear drives and steel components have been extensively corroded and parts are obsolete. The manager asked the council to fund rebuilding mechanisms on two clarifiers this year and the other two next year, noting stainless designs would extend service life "30, 40 years" and reduce recurrent emergency repairs.
Separately, staff reported a 65-foot section of 6-inch ductile iron drain under the screw-press concrete slab had plugged and was badly deteriorated by hydrogen sulfide exposure. The plant manager said initial contractor pricing for slip-lining is about $38,000 and asked council to permit using roughly $70,000 in project carryover to address the repair immediately rather than excavate and disrupt operations.
Council members supported addressing the immediate slip-line repair and asked for more detailed scope and bids so the city can finalize a funding reallocation before the budget is adopted.
