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Charles City plans upgrades at Water Treatment Plant No. 3 after bids come below estimates
Summary
Council reviewed quotes to replace an aging variable frequency drive (VFD) for high-service pump No. 3 and to complete two remaining PLC upgrades; staff said the VFD quote was about $19,000 (under a $30,000 budget) and the PLC work came in at $79,864 against an $80,000 budget. No formal vote was taken; staff will bring the item forward for the Monday meeting.
City staff briefed the council on two capital items at Water Treatment Plant No. 3 intended to prevent equipment failures and modernize controls.
Staff said a Primex quote for a variable frequency drive (VFD) for high-service pump No. 3 — a 200-horsepower pump that sends treated water from the clear well to the distribution system — was about $19,000, well under the $30,000 budgeted amount. The quote for two remaining programmable logic controller (PLC) upgrades totaled $79,864 against an $80,000 budget. Staff described PLCs as the plant’s control “brains” and urged preventive replacement to avoid emergency outages.
Council members generally supported proceeding, noting the value of budgeting for staggered replacements; staff said they plan to do one pump/controller upgrade per year until all units are current. One councilor suggested selling obsolete parts to smaller systems once replaced. The matter will be scheduled for formal action at the next regular meeting. No amendments or vote totals were recorded at the workshop.
