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Utility commission backs $20 million recommendation for Hillsdale intake upgrade
Summary
The Gardner City Utility Advisory Commission voted to recommend awarding phase 2 (final design and construction) of the Hillsdale water treatment plant raw-water intake to the Burns & McDonnell/CAS joint venture; staff estimated the project at $20.8 million and said the new intake will raise capacity and improve safety and reliability.
The Utility Advisory Commission on July 2 recommended City Council award of the phase‑2 design and construction contract for the Hillsdale water treatment plant raw‑water intake to the Burns & McDonnell / CAS joint venture, with a not‑to‑exceed recommendation of $20,000,000.
Consultant Jake White of Burns & McDonnell told commissioners the existing intake at Hillsdale Lake — an exposed structure installed in about 1997 — is the city’s only source of raw water and is experiencing frequent failures. “It is the sole source of water for the city,” White said, and listed repeated pump repairs, failing chemical‑feed equipment and telemetry and electrical issues as drivers for replacement.
Why this matters: staff and consultants said the intake’s reliability and safety problems create a narrow window for repair when the intake is out of service. Presenters said pumps have been repaired more than 20 times since 2018 and that an on‑site bulk chemical tank (sodium permanganate) had been taken out of service after a fitting leak; the consultants said the leak discharged into an on‑site containment basin and did not reach the ground or waterway.
Project scope and capacity: the new intake will be built adjacent to the existing structure (about 30 feet away) and will enclose pumps and chemical storage inside a building with HVAC and a hoist/bridge crane to improve maintenance safety. The design presented called for four vertical turbine pumps and below‑grade intake piping and screens. White said the intake is currently capped at 6,000,000 gallons per day (gpd); the new intake would initially increase intake capability to 9,000,000 gpd and could be expanded with another pump to about 13.5 million gpd, aligning with water‑system expansion projects and master‑plan forecasts.
Cost and schedule: presenters described the project as a progressive design‑build and gave a high‑level cost estimate of $20,800,000; they also identified $415,000 of owner‑controlled allowances that would revert to the city if unused. A contractor representative said design was roughly 60% complete, permitting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Kansas Department of Health and Environment was underway, and that construction could start in early Q2 2027. The wet well (a 50‑foot in‑the‑ground structure) would be the first year’s work; major building and pump installation were described for early 2028 and overall completion and testing around September 2028.
Commission action and next steps: Commissioner Augustine moved and Commissioner Edwards seconded a recommendation that City Council award the phase‑2 contract to the Burns & McDonnell / CAS joint venture with a not‑to‑exceed figure discussed at the meeting of $20,000,000; the motion carried. Presenters said they expected to finalize outstanding legal terms with the city attorney within about a week and planned to present the project to City Council at its July 20 meeting.
Closing note: staff and contractors emphasized that the new intake is intended to improve reliability, safety and capacity in the face of city growth; commissioners also pressed staff on contingency timing, and consultants said operators would typically have only several hours to restore service if the intake became fully unavailable.
