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Granite Falls details WWTP upgrade progress and approves rock‑catch manhole change order
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Summary
Deputy City Manager Jeff Balentine told the City Council that work on the wastewater treatment plant upgrade has advanced on multiple fronts and that the city approved a small change order to add a rock‑catch manhole after discovering an existing influent manhole issue on Wallace Street.
Deputy City Manager Jeff Balentine told the Granite Falls City Council on July 3 that construction on the city's wastewater treatment plant upgrade has moved into a series of concrete and below‑grade electrical phases and outlined specific July milestones.
Balentine reported crews have completed most interior and exterior walls of the oxidation ditch except for upper channel and effluent drop box walls, installed the east elevated walkway and conduit, and backfilled around the ditch. He said the solids handling building has most process drains completed, headworks upper wall construction and conduit installation are finished, and crews have begun demolition of existing effluent cooling and re‑aeration tanks.
"We continue smooth sludge hauling operations to the Wenatchee landfill," Balentine said, listing other recent work including pouring upper walls in the influent pump station and grit channels and completing below‑grade electrical work at the Blower Building.
Balentine also listed July construction milestones: continuing installation of influent channel rebar and forms for the oxidation ditch; pouring upper slabs and walkways; installing rebar and forms for stairs around headworks; excavating and installing the influent pump station valve vault; and advancing the 14‑inch influent sewer installation.
On a related procurement and construction issue, Balentine said city staff requested and approved a minor change proposal to add a rock‑catch manhole to the 14‑inch influent sewer. He told the council staff had alerted the engineer (G&O) to an issue in an existing influent manhole on Wallace Street, where a mechanical plug remained in the downstream line; HPC was asked to propose removing the plug, plugging the pipeline temporarily, and re‑channeling the manhole with grout.
Councilmember FitzGerald asked about the possibility of touring the plant; Balentine confirmed staff would coordinate a site visit. The council noted the progress report and the change‑order approval as part of the staff report; no dollar amount for the change order was recorded in the minutes.
Next steps cited by Balentine include continued rebar/form work, valve vault excavation, and completion of plant drain piping along the solids handling building. The council adjourned at 8:14 p.m.