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Board hears update after wastewater digester dome ruptured; city ratifies related utility payments
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Summary
Elkhart Public Works told the Board of Works staff that a TPO membrane roof on Digester 3 ruptured with no injuries; the board ratified multiple SRF-funded partial payments for Oakland Tank and force-main work and placed the February wastewater MRO on file.
The Board of Works was told this morning that the roof membrane on Digester 3 at the city wastewater plant ruptured in a Saturday morning incident, and the city is investigating the failure while notifying its insurer.
A staff member from Public Works said the digester’s TPO membrane failed at about 10 a.m.; the fire department responded and cleared the scene by about 11:30 a.m. “We did lose the dome,” the staff member said, adding there were no injuries and only limited damage to other infrastructure. Staff said the exact cause is under investigation and that insurance and risk-management teams are being notified.
The board also ratified several construction payments tied to the city’s wastewater projects. Members approved partial payment No. 1 of $113,080 to CNE Excavating from an SRF construction loan for the Oakland Tank Project C, which staff said includes Harrison Street reconstruction, sewer separation and a large-diameter gravity sewer linking downtown work to the new tank. The board likewise ratified partial payment 32 for $122,463 to CNE for the Oakland Avenue Force Main Phase A project; staff said that Phase A is nearing completion with landscaping and final traffic signs being installed.
Public Works presented the February wastewater maintenance, repair and operations report (MRO), showing an average daily flow just over 10,000,000 gallons and a monthly flow of 286,000,000 gallons. The report noted one incident: a 62-gallon sewer backup attributed to a main blockage believed to be grease.
The board placed the MRO report on file and directed staff to continue the digester failure investigation. Staff said they are working with legal and risk management on insurance notification and will return with any recommended actions or funding paths once the investigation yields more detail.
