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Corydon council approves $6,500 digital recorder and $16,463 clamp-on flow meters to cut sewer costs
Summary
The town council authorized replacing 10 analog chart recorders with one digital unit for $6,500 and replacing three failing flow meters with clamp-on technology for $16,463, moves staff said would reduce electric demand charges and lower sludge-handling costs.
The Corydon Town Council on a routine motion approved two equipment purchases intended to reduce operating costs at the town’s wastewater facilities.
Town Manager Bruce told the council the changes already made at the new plant had reduced the peak kilowatt demand and were trimming the town’s electric bills by about $2,500 a month, or roughly $30,000 a year. He said sludge production has fallen as well, reducing hauling and disposal costs by an estimated $25,000 annually.
To build on those savings, Bruce asked the council to approve replacing 10 aging analog chart recorders at the old plant with one modern digital recorder. He said three of the 10 analog units no longer work and that the vendor quoted a full analog replacement at about $36,000, while a single digital recorder could be installed for $6,500. The council approved the $6,500 purchase from the sewer fund.
Bruce also asked to replace three of nine flow meters that are not functioning. He said a like-for-like replacement would cost roughly $22,866 per meter, but newer clamp-on meter technology would allow the town to install three new meters with less labor for $16,463. Council members moved and seconded the purchase, and the motion carried.
Bruce warned that moving more flow back to the old plant to realize electric savings may raise some chemical-use and sludge-handling costs. He also told the council of a collapsed 6-inch cast-iron dewatering pipe in the old plant that likely requires contracted excavation and repair because it lies about eight feet below grade. Staff said the pipe repair will be treated as a time-and-materials contract once engineers and contractors scope the work.
The council did not set a precise timetable for the pipe repair but instructed staff to obtain bids and return with cost estimates at a future meeting.
Quotes attributed in this report come from Bruce (town manager) and Ron Chanty (summer superintendent) as recorded during the manager’s report to the council. The council voted on the recorder and meter purchases during that agenda item; payment was confirmed to come from the sewer operating budget.
