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Pasco seeks budget amendment after low bid on Broadmoor-area irrigation pump station
Summary
City staff said a low bid around $7.17 million was received for a pump station to boost irrigation supply in Broadmoor, and asked council to confirm that future subdivisions will connect to the city system before approving a budget amendment to cover higher-than-expected project costs.
City engineering staff described a long-planned pump-station project to augment irrigation supply in the Broadmoor development area, reported a low bid and urged council to confirm the city-serviced development area before finalizing a budget amendment.
Director Sarah said staff opened bids in April and the apparent low bidder bid roughly $7,165,461, slightly under the engineer’s estimate. The project — a building-enclosed pump station, ditch crossing and pipeline connection — is intended to import surplus irrigation water from the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District to help mitigate summer low-pressure zones and serve planned development.
Staff said the project cost is now about $1.5 million higher than earlier planning estimates and that a land purchase and scope clarifications remain. Sarah warned that if developers choose private irrigation alternatives or seek waivers from connecting to the city system, the city would need to revisit service-area assumptions, sizing, and whether the project remains financially prudent. She noted utility-rate and connection-fee modeling had assumed the planned service area would hook to the city irrigation network.
Councilmembers asked about alternatives for developers to run private systems via contracts with irrigation districts; staff confirmed that connection via a contractor arrangement with the irrigation district would be feasible but cautioned it could undermine the city’s repayment model for the pump station.
Next steps: staff will bring back the bid award and a proposed budget amendment to fund the work, and councilmembers requested more detail on service-area commitments from developers before final approval.
