Valdosta council approves engineering amendment and construction contract for wastewater plant upgrades

Valdosta's Mayor and Council on April 23 approved staff recommendations to replace a worn belt-filter press at the Wakuchi water pollution control plant, contract engineering services for construction support and authorize emergency repairs to increase filter capacity.

Utilities Director Jason Barnes told the council staff requested an amendment to the original CDM Smith task authorization of Aug. 14, 2024, for engineering services during construction. "Staff recommends approving the proposal submitted by CDM Smith in the amount of $110,500," Barnes said. He said the work will cover construction-phase engineering to reduce operational impacts while the city replaces the belt-filter press and associated polymer feed system.

Barnes said the existing belt-filter press was reused from the Mug Creek plant years ago and now needs full replacement. He described a prior turnkey proposal that was over budget, then two rounds of bidding. "The lowest bid was submitted by Reynolds Construction of Georgia LLC in the amount of $1,190,500," Barnes said, and staff recommended awarding the construction contract to Reynolds as the lowest responsive bidder that met project requirements.

Council moved and approved the CDM Smith amendment by voice vote and later approved the low construction bid as presented.

At the same meeting, Barnes sought payment approval for emergency repairs at the plant that staff say were authorized after a Nov. 21, 2024 heavy-rain event caused a hydraulic overload. He said the plant's effluent filters could handle about 11–12 million gallons per day (MGD) and that installing 30-inch butterfly valves where 24-inch valves had been would increase throughput to an estimated 18 MGD. "Staff recommends approving the payment RPI in amount of $230,146 for the emergency repairs and the installation of the new valves," Barnes said.

City Engineer Ben Odawa explained the valves were purchased and installed under emergency authorization because staff feared another heavy rain event could lead to a spill; manufacturing and scheduling delays meant the physical work occurred later. Odawa and Barnes told council the contractor's quoted price did not include an emergency surcharge and that most of the quoted cost reflected equipment rather than labor.

Council discussed whether the procurement should be called an "emergency" or a prioritized scheduled project and asked staff to clarify language on future authorizations. The payment to RPI was approved 4–1, according to the tally announced by the mayor pro tem.

Why it matters: replacing the reused belt-filter press and increasing valve size are intended to reduce spill risk and improve the plant's ability to handle extreme storm flows. Staff said construction-phase engineering will reduce disruption while the plant is taken out of service for replacement work.

Next steps and provenance: staff will proceed with the CDM Smith amendment and the Reynolds Construction contract. The engineering-amendment discussion and approval appear in the meeting record beginning with the presentation of the amendment (SEG 068) through the motion and approval (SEG 155–191); the construction-bid discussion and award are recorded at SEG 192–235; the emergency-valve presentation and related approvals are recorded at SEG 256–324 and the 4–1 vote at SEG 552–560.