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Council debates 8-inch vs 10-inch water main for River Knoll extension; no immediate action taken
Summary
Council heard engineering options to extend an 8-inch main or install 10-inch main to Slagle/Slag Road as part of River Knoll Drive extension; trade-offs include capacity, future looping benefits, and about $35,000 incremental cost for the 10-inch loop option; council deferred immediate action.
City staff presented options for the River Knoll Drive extension: extend the existing 8-inch water main or upgrade to a 10-inch main to Slagle/Slag Road. Engineers explained that a 10-inch main provides higher flow and better low-velocity circulation (examples given: low-velocity values ranging from roughly 734 to 1,900 gallons per minute for 10-inch vs lower flows for 8-inch under certain conditions), while the 8-inch option is less expensive and would match most existing nearby infrastructure.
Staff outlined two construction approaches: replace and extend 10-inch mains all the way to Slagle (estimated additional cost in the order of $74,000 for full replacement) or extend 8-inch with a future plan to loop to 10-inch when development or TIF expansion makes it sensible. One staff estimate for adding 10-inch looping from the intersection toward County Highway B was about $35,000.
Council members discussed the pros and cons—engineering capacity gains from upsizing versus the uncertain timing and scale of future high-water users—and noted that looping the network in the future could improve flow. Council did not take immediate action on changing the bid; staff said option 1 (8-inch as bid) remains feasible and the council can revisit if a large user expresses interest.
No motion was made to change the bid; the council left the item for future consideration and to align with TIF expansion planning.
