Ogden staff detail flushing program, canyon waterline and new state drinking‑water fee

Ogden city staff updated the City Council at a work session that a targeted hydrant‑flushing program developed with Confluence Engineering has reduced discolored‑water complaints and that the city is advancing a multiyear canyon waterline and well‑replacement program.

Justin Sornson, a city staff member who led the presentation, said the flushing plan is designed to clear mineral deposits from older cast‑iron pipes while limiting wasted water. "What this tells me is these are probably all associated with maybe some pipeline breaks that we've had to go and fix," he said, describing a pattern of north‑end complaints and a plan to flush selectively rather than indiscriminately.

Sornson also reviewed long‑range work to protect Ogden's Pine View well field. The city plans to install a new 48‑inch HDPE line and to create a pull‑through arrangement that would permit future inspections and replacement of the existing 36‑inch steel main. He said two aging wells drilled in 1970 will likely need replacement, with drilling costs of "probably a million and a half maybe two million to three million" per well depending on depth.

The presentation highlighted a recent deep waterline repair at the mouth of the canyon completed by city crews. "If we would have had to bring in an outside contractor that would have cost us half a million dollars," Sornson said; instead, crews completed the work for about $100,000 in three days, a savings city staff emphasized.

Council members pressed staff on how new costs will affect residents. Sornson warned that Senate Bill 80, a state law that creates a new drinking‑water fee and begins collecting production data, will likely increase the city's outlay for state services. "We're estimating a $61,000 a year bill going forward," he said, and noted that if the city passes the fee to ratepayers it could represent about $0.25 per account per month when implemented next fiscal year.

Sornson told the council the water fund currently has cash on hand above the city's one‑year target and that debt‑service coverage ratios remain healthy, but he said costs for capital projects and system upgrades will draw on those reserves over the coming years. He said staff will return with more detailed cost breakdowns and timelines for the canyon line and well replacements.

What happens next: staff will provide cost and schedule details for the canyon waterline and proposed well replacements, and will return with recommendations on whether to pass any state fees through to ratepayers or absorb them in utility rates.