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Demorest staff recommend pump test, system modeling and lift-station repairs as council prepares agenda items
Summary
City staff recommended a $10,000 pump test for the Garrison Road well, a multi-month hydraulic model to assess capacity, and repair or replacement of a failing Sweetgrass lift-station pump; the GEFA lead-and-copper grant was discussed and all items were referred to the Regular Session for action.
City Manager Mark Musselwhite recommended moving forward with several measures to assess and shore up Demorest’s water system at the July 2 work session. He presented two pump-test quotes for the Garrison Road well, a proposal to run a hydraulic water model of the distribution system and options to repair or replace a failing lift-station pump in the Sweetgrass subdivision.
The most immediate choice on the table, Musselwhite said, is a pump test for the Garrison Road well. He presented an MPE quote for $10,000 and an Oconee Well Drillers quote for $14,000 and noted the city has roughly $25,000 budgeted for the well. Clerk Megan Chastain flagged that the MPE quote excludes additional testing or permitting that DNR or Habersham County might require; Musselwhite said he did not know whether the Oconee quote covered such contingencies.
Musselwhite also described a proposal for a hydraulic analysis of the city’s water distribution and storage facilities, work he said the city typically conducts every three to five years. The analysis would take an estimated three to five months and, according to Musselwhite, would help the city evaluate capacity as new meters are sold and assist staff in reducing water loss.
At the Sweetgrass lift station, Musselwhite outlined two cost options after one pump failed and the other neared failure: repairing the existing pump for $18,678 or purchasing and installing a new pump for $19,920. Mayor Jerry Harkness asked that the Sweetgrass repair item be added to the upcoming Regular Session agenda as item 9 so the council can consider formal action.
Musselwhite also presented documents for a GEFA grant to address lead-and-copper work in the system that is currently out for bid. He cautioned that the grant amount may not cover all costs and said the council would need to vote to accept any award; Mayor Harkness asked that the grant be placed on the Regular Session agenda as item 10.
None of the items received a formal vote during the work session; staff noted some of the work is not budgeted and would require council approval or budget amendments. The Regular Session will include the referred items for possible formal motions or votes.
