Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Street and utilities staff warn of lingering storm damage, pump-clogging debris
Summary
Orange City street and utilities staff reported this week that storm cleanup and flooding strained equipment, damaged vehicles and exposed persistent sewer-system problems such as pump-clogging debris and long lead times for replacement parts.
Street and utilities staff told the Orange City Council that a severe storm this year and continued heavy rains imposed extended cleanup and repair work on public crews and equipment.
Luke Hork, introduced by council as the city street department presenter, summarized annual work and emphasized the department’s storm response: crews used snowplows to push trees off thoroughfares, hired temporary haulers and ran curbside branch pickup for several weeks. He said one tree limb went through the windshield of a snow plow while crews worked to clear roads, and that equipment sustained ‘‘a pretty big beating’’ that will require additional maintenance and future capital planning. Hork also highlighted recent capital work including concrete replacement near City Hall, a new payloader purchased used to save money, and sidewalk and asphalt repairs.
A utilities staff member reported that spring flooding forced some lift stations to run continuously — ‘‘I think it ran a month and a half straight and never shut off’’ — stressing pumps and resulting in at least one pump failure. Crews used spare equipment and called outside vendors to remove and repair pumps; staff said disposable wipes, rope and twine have repeatedly jammed pumps. An electronic malfunction forced the sewer plant to be operated manually for roughly three days, requiring additional staffing and night shifts to keep processes running.
Staff discussed short- and long-term responses: ordering spare pumps farther in advance to avoid long lead times, relining old mains to reduce infiltration where clay pipe allows groundwater to enter, and considering additional lift stations or force mains to relieve flow toward the east lift. Officials cautioned there is no quick fix: adding pumping capacity can shift constraints to the sewer plant itself, which also has finite capacity.
The report also noted upgrades underway: a new well was brought online this spring and the city is updating SCADA (the supervisory control system) for both water and wastewater sites. Council members thanked crews for the cleanup and maintenance work and asked about remediation steps for recurring debris in the system.
