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Seldovia council weighs water‑meter pilot, booster‑pump move and water‑plant parts after probe failures
Summary
Council discussed pilot water meters, relocating a booster pump to maintain pressure when the storage tank drops below 16 feet, and buying spare probes and parts after recent water‑plant failures; administration plans a small pilot and to seek funding for broader metering.
City Manager Heidi told the council the administration is pursuing a low‑cost pilot to gather real usage data before considering broad water metering or new fee schedules.
Heidi said the city has leads on about 10 loaner Badger meters that could be used for an indefinite pilot and that other towns (Talkeetna, Homer) recommended pursuing outside funding for a full program. “We think we have a pretty good lead on, at least 10 loaner meters that we could borrow indefinitely…we could start taking some readings this year,” Heidi said. She added that manual or spot remote reads are options if purchasing full reading software is costly.
On capital needs, Heidi recommended moving a booster pump closer to the intake pipe so the plant retains enough pressure when the storage tank drops below 16 feet; without the move, a fire or heavy use could lower the tank and interrupt flow to the plant. She itemized FY26 water capital: 500 feet of chlorine tubing, two butterfly valves, a spare CESD probe (about $3,000) and 60 gallons of acrylic urethane sealer to reseal the storage-tank roof.
Council members supported a phased approach: run a pilot to collect usage numbers, then design a fee schedule with minimum monthly charges plus usage fees. Members also asked that any inventory of spare parts include a rotation/tagging system so seals and other shelf‑stock do not degrade before use.
Heidi said the administration will follow up with Talkeetna, Badger (meter vendor) and the Alaska Rural Water Association on implementation details and anticipated costs for reading software, and will bring further figures to the council.
