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New headwork screen cleans wastewater flow, city staff say; project delivered under consultant estimate
Summary
City staff showed photos and video of a new rotating headwork screen at the wastewater treatment plant that staff say quickly removed solids and reduced pump-clogging. Staff reported managing contractors directly and delivering the project for about $200,000 versus a consultant estimate of roughly $500,000.
The Utility Advisory Committee received a monthly CIP update focused on the wastewater treatment plant’s new headwork screen. The utilities engineer described the previous auger-style screen as allowing solids to bypass the mechanism and clog pumps, and walked the committee through photos and a short video of the newly installed rotating screen.
The engineer described how the new panels sit in the inlet channel, trap solids, ratchet them above the waterline, spray them clean and deliver compacted solids to a dumpster and compactor for landfill disposal. “Startup went extremely well … the machine was functioning within a matter of hours,” the engineer said during the presentation.
Staff also described project procurement and management choices. Because the screening machine had long lead times, staff ordered the custom equipment directly, hired electrical, mechanical and SCADA contractors, and managed them in‑house rather than through a single general contractor. Staff said that approach reduced the city’s installed cost compared with an engineering estimate; staff reported the deliverable cost at about $200,000 compared with a consultant’s $500,000 estimate for a general‑contracting approach.
Committee members praised the installation as a CIP success and asked for follow‑up photos and the project’s final closeout documents. The engineer also summarized other CIP highlights, including feeder circuit work in Hemingway Valley and transformer orders for Substation 3 with equipment delivery expected in about a year.
What happens next: staff will circulate the CIP one‑page status (already in the city manager’s report) and the engineering closeout materials for committee review at a future meeting.
