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Council hears sewer-rehab progress and water-quality updates after resident complaints
Summary
Staff reported progress on sewer rehabilitation and explained the cause of recent yellow/tinted drinking water linked to a raw-water source change; TCEQ notifications were discussed and staff said the system has returned to compliance.
Nederland — City staff updated the council and residents on an array of public-works projects and water-quality issues, including sewer-line rehabilitation, manhole inspections, hydraulic modeling, lift-station designs and a TCEQ-required customer notice for a past maximum-contaminant-level (MCL) calculation.
City manager and public-works staff said Westwood is nearing substantial completion on a clarifier rehab and that smoke testing and manhole inspections are complete for the western 20% of the city as part of a phased sanitary-sewer study. Staff described ongoing hydraulic analyses, 60% design targets for key lift stations and plans for bidding several road and sidewalk repair packages.
Several residents reported blocked lines, collapsed manholes and homes that could not flush during a recent heavy rain. Residents questioned whether the current engineering contract had been supplied with earlier reports by Schaumburg/Polk; staff said SPI’s smoke-testing report had been shared with Westwood and that engineering is following contract scopes and calendars. Residents urged clearer tracking of contractor schedules; staff said they are relying on contractor reports and internal weekly coordination.
On water quality, Public Works Director Tim Bell and Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Michael Mitchell discussed a TCEQ-required notice tied to a run-of-month averaging calculation from a June 2025 violation; staff said that after corrective steps (flushing and testing) the system returned to compliance and the most recent TCEQ letter is administrative and intended to close the violation record.
Separately, the city has received multiple reports of yellow/tinted water following an accelerated switch by the regional supplier (LNVA) to Pine Island Bayou source water. Mitchell explained that Pine Island Bayou water has much higher ‘‘true color’’ organics that are difficult to remove with the plant’s design; staff are increasing flushing while maintaining disinfectant residuals to keep water safe to drink. Staff warned that trying to fully remove the high color could compromise disinfectant dosing and public-safety reserves.
Council and staff agreed to post clearer progress schedules online and to continue monthly updates to the council while engineering work proceeds.
