Fernley council approves engineering plan to fix water plant's caustic soda and compressed-air systems

The Fernley City Council voted 5-0 to approve a preliminary engineering report and to authorize staff to proceed with design and bidding for improvements to the city's water treatment plant caustic soda (pH adjustment) and compressed-air systems.

The measure, presented by Utilities Engineering Manager Anna Navaro and consultants from Keller Associates, responds to equipment failures and corrosion at the plant, which is about 16 years old and is the city's only treatment facility. "The caustic soda system has issues throughout the facility," consultant Dylan Kerry said, adding that leaks have been observed in chemical vaults and that pumps and piping have reached the end of their useful life. "It is the only water treatment plant in the city of Fernley," Kerry said.

The report recommended replacing failing metering pumps, installing dual-contained PVC piping where leaks have occurred, improving chemical vault access and safety, and adding a third air compressor and a second receiver tank to give operational redundancy for the microfiltration system. Consultants told council that fusion-bonded polyethylene piping was considered but standard PVC with dual containment offered the best balance of cost and maintainability for staff familiar with the system.

Keller Associates' Jeremy Wilson said the next steps are design development, state plan review and then bidding; he estimated state review of construction documents would typically take 30 to 45 days. Utility Director Son Kim told council the work was not originally budgeted but staff could use a portion of funds set aside for the city's surface-water intake program to proceed.

Council members pressed for clarity on reliability standards for the compressed-air system and on safety improvements in the chemical vaults, including replacing deteriorated ladder steps. "When you reach the end of that useful lifespan, you're going to see failures increase," the consultant said, explaining the rationale for a redundant compressor and dual tanks.

Councilman Hannon moved to approve the PER and authorize staff to proceed with design and bid preparation; the motion passed on a 5-0 vote.

The consultants described the project cost as an engineer's estimate covering design, construction and administration; council approved proceeding with design and bidding based on that estimate. The state regulatory reference cited during the presentation was Nevada Administrative Code 445.8531 for treatment-plant requirements. Council asked staff to return with final design documents and to follow state review and bidding timelines.