City reports Well 9 commissioning schedule, Well 5 recovery and planned oxidation ditch repairs

Acting public works director Jason Murphy provided a technical update on the city’s water and wastewater projects. He said the pump at Well 9 is installed, a concrete pad is in place, and commissioning is scheduled for July 8–9 with a variable-frequency-drive (VFD) calibration specialist traveling from Kansas to finalize controls. Murphy said the generator for Well 9 is expected to arrive in mid‑August.

Murphy reported Well 5 has been offline for roughly a month but its water level has recovered about 10 feet after limited operation; it remains about 20 feet below the installed static water line and staff will continue monitoring and perform flow testing as needed.

On wastewater infrastructure, Murphy said the city has received bidding documents for Oxidation Ditch No.1 coatings and crack repairs. The planned work includes an immersion coating on the tank interior, an exterior coating and cove/joint repair; the selected contractor will demonstrate testing procedures and leave equipment for city staff to carry out subsequent testing.

Council members asked technical questions about application methods and curing time; Murphy explained the coating is applied using a combination of spray and roll methods and requires a curing process before the tank is returned to service. Staff said they expect to issue a work directive to contractors for Well 8 mitigation (glass-bead packing) pending vendor due diligence and flow testing before ordering a replacement pump.

Council took no formal vote on the projects at the workshop; staff will return with procurement solicitations and scheduling as work moves to contracting.