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Calvert City board reviews higher lagoon and maintenance costs; plant upgrades proceed
Summary
City officials said dewatering and disposal for lagoon work and unplanned maintenance have driven costs above budget, but staff reported the water plant is largely complete and filter-media replacement is imminent.
The Calvert City Council opened its regular meeting with a review of utility finances and operations, where officials reported higher-than-expected costs for lagoon dewatering and other maintenance projects while describing steady progress on water-plant upgrades.
Chair (S5) said operating revenue for water is running "about $20,000" ahead of the budget year to date, while total expenses were cited as “358,000 versus a budgeted 461,000,” and noted the sewer side is also showing revenue ahead of projections. The board flagged a maintenance-and-repair line that showed roughly $75,000 in charges against a year-to-date budget of $27,000 and discussed moving about $30,000 out of a waste-path account into the sewer/lagoons capital account.
Staff (S3) described the lagoon project as active: one lagoon has been dewatered and a second is in progress. The work — including dewatering, sludge processing and disposal — has added costs above original estimates. Staff said the lagoons were last installed or retrofitted around 2000 and that desludging tends to occur on multi‑decadal cycles; the board agreed the work must be scheduled and budgeted going forward.
On operations, staff explained how solids are processed: a grinder/press removes water from the solids, material is placed in a 2‑yard dumpster and picked up monthly. "It grinds and and presses it because it presses out the water," S3 said, describing the interim disposal approach and the routine collection cadence.
Separately, staff reported the drinking-water plant is essentially complete and that control set points are being adjusted to stabilize operation. Filter-media replacement is scheduled to begin soon and is expected to take about three weeks, with staff noting valves still require additional work. The board also discussed a rate study under way and software changes intended to improve billing and data workflows.
The council asked staff to compile a clearer breakdown of the maintenance charges and the extra lagoon costs for the next meeting and to include options for funding or reclassifying expenses. The meeting adjourned after routine procedural business.
