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Committee weighs incremental I&I funding; $40 million technical estimate versus $3 million near-term proposal
Summary
Staff told the committee a technical model estimated a 25% reduction in four sub-basins could cost about $40 million, but recommended a smaller, programmatic increase to $3 million now to begin investigations and targeted repairs; members discussed trade-offs with off-site sewer expansion and staffing constraints.
The Budget and Finance Committee spent a substantial portion of its meeting on inflow and infiltration (I&I) funding options tied to the city's consent decree.
Staff described a technical scenario in which targeting a 25% reduction in four sub-basins would cost roughly $40 million and could materially reduce peak flows in the bypass. "That being said, it's a lot of money in a short amount of time," Mr. Allen said, noting the city lacks staff and logistical capacity to execute a $40 million program quickly.
Instead of requesting the full modeled amount, staff proposed a smaller, programmatic step. Budget Amendment 2—on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) agenda later—would increase I&I funding to $3,000,000 for the remainder of the year to allow more investigation, targeted repairs and pilot work. "Let's just up it a little bit more and let's see what they do with it," Mr. Allen said, urging a trial approach that could be scaled in the next budget cycle if successful.
Committee members discussed relative cost-effectiveness of chasing capacity through I&I reduction versus system expansion or public delivery of off-site sewer. One member summarized the trade-off: capturing capacity through I&I can be costly with diminishing returns, while off-site system expansion may deliver more capacity per dollar. "It's gonna be much cheaper ... if you evaluate it, like, a gallon per dollar," the chair said.
Staff also noted significant unknowns in lateral lines connected to homes; preliminary estimates suggest at least 30% of I&I flows could originate in laterals that require further investigation before repair programming. Mr. Allen said the city will continue some combination of incremental funding increases for staff and equipment and contracting outside help to accelerate investigative work.
No final funding vote on the I&I funding increase was taken at the committee meeting; the $3,000,000 request appears on the consent agenda for later BOMA consideration.
