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Commission OKs $500,000 for aeration-tank cleaning after staff warns of permit risk
Summary
The commission approved a $500,000 budget amendment to finish and expand aeration-tank cleaning at the Knox wastewater plant; wastewater staff warned that delaying work increases the risk of a discharge/permit violation if equipment fails.
Texas City commissioners approved a $500,000 budget amendment on May 6 to complete previously planned aeration-tank cleaning at the Knox wastewater treatment plant and to clean an additional tank.
CFO Cynthia Rushing explained the item was in the prior year's budget but the work did not start; the current request would allow completion of the unfinished half tank and a second full tank cleaning. Corbin Ballot, speaking for wastewater operations, said the work supports treatment efficiency and cautioned that delaying cleaning raises regulatory risk.
"We could ... have a chance of violating our discharge permit," Corbin Ballot said, noting that failures (for example a blower outage) combined with uncleaned tanks could increase the likelihood of ammonia or bacteria permit exceedances. Commissioners asked about schedule; staff said cleaning would begin as soon as contract procurement completes and estimated mobilization of 30'45 days.
A motion to postpone the item failed for lack of a second; the commission then voted to approve the amendment and directed staff to proceed with contract procurement and report back with timing. Staff emphasized the usual target is to clean roughly one tank per year and that last-year bid results required additional funding this year.
