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Mount Pleasant council adds water‑plant operator to curb large weekend water loss
Summary
The council approved adding a water‑plant operator at the Lake Bob Sandland plant after staff said filter damage and weekend shutdowns cost the city roughly 13 million gallons a year; staff said the position is already budgeted and the water savings could offset the hire.
The Mount Pleasant City Council voted Tuesday to add an additional operator to the Lake Bob Sandland (LBS) water plant to avoid recurring weekend shutdowns that staff said are causing substantial water loss.
Utility Director Marshall told the council that a failed filter and the practice of shutting the plant on weekends resulted in the loss of roughly 5 million gallons per day on weekends and an estimated 13 million gallons a year overall. He said one aging filter from the 1970s had cracked and would need substantial rebuilding as part of a planned upgrade.
Marshall said the position was already budgeted and argued that the water saved would cover personnel costs: "Just the water loss alone would pay for two positions, but we only need [one]," a staff member said during discussion. Council members pressed for details on the filter project timeline; staff said the upgrade will be funded by a bond and go out for request for bids next month.
The council approved the addition of the LBS plant operator by unanimous vote. Staff said the new operator would allow the plant to run continuously, reduce chemical and energy use compared with older facilities and support transition away from less efficient equipment.
What's next: Staff will continue work on the filter upgrade project and move forward with hiring under the existing budget process.
