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Buhl council reviews MDH sanitary survey, approves structural inspection of water tower
Summary
The council reviewed a Minnesota Department of Health sanitary survey that recommended repairs and operational changes for the Buhl Public Water System and approved a structural inspection of the elevated water tank not to exceed $8,000.
The Buhl City Council on Aug. 6 received a sanitary survey from the Minnesota Department of Health and approved a proposal for a structural steel inspection of the elevated water storage tank.
Administrator Tony Jeffries summarized MDH findings from a June 13 sanitary survey: the agency recommended providing standby power through an auxiliary generator, repairing a crack on the exterior supporting wall of the ground storage tank (work already scheduled), minimizing dead ends in the distribution system, initiating a valve exercising and replacement program, and noted that bacteriological sampling and chlorine residuals at six locations were non‑detectable for coliform bacteria, E. coli, free chlorine and total residual chlorine.
Councilor Kealy moved, supported by Councilor Hadrava, to approve a proposal from AMI Consulting Engineers, P.A. for a structural inspection and condition assessment of the elevated tank’s superstructure in an amount not to exceed $8,000. The motion carried unanimously. City staff said the earlier January 2024 condition assessment covered the storage vessel but did not assess the supporting superstructure; the AMI inspection will fill that gap.
Why it matters: the sanitary survey identifies both maintenance and operational priorities that affect water safety and reliability; the superstructure inspection will determine the remaining service life and inform decisions about repair, replacement or continued use.
The MDH materials and the AMI proposal will be placed on the city website for public review; the inspection scope and schedule were not specified during the meeting and will be scheduled with the consultant.
