Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Sewer Asset Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County engineers ask council to back asset management, detail lead-line work and green‑streets projects
Summary
DPW described roughly $52.2M in sewer and $27.1M in water/drainage FY27 asks, signaled work to inventory public-side lead service lines, outlined green‑streets and pond repairs, and said procurement and engineering schedules shifted some wastewater plant projects out a year.
Department of Public Works staff presented FY27 capital requests and a multi-year asset-management effort meant to prioritize aging water, sewer and storm infrastructure. Josef Cabeda and DPW engineers summarized sewer asset management projects, an $18M water pipeline ask, lead-and-copper inventory work and an expanded green streets and vulnerable-watershed program.
Cabeda highlighted a recent sewer failure at Watchlight Court as an example of aging infrastructure that required streambank restoration and pipe repair. On the lead-and-copper program, DPW staff said federal EPA rules require inventory and replacement planning for lead service lines; they reported about 829 public‑side services where materials are still unknown and said the county is using desktop review and customer outreach to identify private‑side materials. DPW said the county will treat unknown lines as lead for inventory purposes and can offer staff assistance to residents who do not want to self‑identify materials.
On wastewater-plant upgrades and dryers, staff said the dryers are currently operational but that the county remains engaged with the German manufacturer and design engineers to refine safety interlocks and preventive‑maintenance protocols. Members questioned a one-year pushout of a major flow-equalization/plant project; DPW cited procurement delays in engineering contracts as the reason and said an engineer selection is near completion.
The green streets program (W1184) was described as a way to remove select paved surfaces and replace them with permeable or vegetated treatments where appropriate, creating permit credit opportunities for MS4 compliance. Staff said 10 pond rehabilitation projects would start in FY27 as part of watershed protection funding, and noted the Snowden River Parkway bridge/culvert work will continue into spring next year.
Council discussion emphasized the need for a comprehensive asset-management inventory to quantify deferred maintenance and funding requirements so the county can model rate impacts and prioritize projects. DPW described an ongoing 'asset performance and reliability' program intended to provide the data for those operating‑budget and long‑range financing discussions.
