Council hears technical problems at water and wastewater plants; staff seeks actuator vendor quotes

Public-works staff told the council the town’s water plant is experiencing operational problems that are limiting production and sending treated water into the backwash system instead of circulation.

An agency official described a system fault they suspect is valve- or actuator-related and said filters are fouled, preventing normal pressure and forcing excess flow to the creek. Staff gave approximate consumption context: historically the wastewater plant used roughly 800,000 gallons per month, while a recent radio reading showed 24,000 gallons, reflecting a change in measurement and operational patterns. Staff estimated current leakage/overuse at 8,000–10,000 gallons per day in some descriptions and said they do not yet know which valve or actuator is failing.

"The filters need to be cleaned," the staff member said, adding that cleaning requires isolating the flow to prevent acidic filter-cleaning solutions from going into the creek. He said the town has contacted an actuator specialist from Richmond to produce a quote and inspect the system and that vendors experienced with actuator porting differences are involved in diagnosing whether multiple actuators or valves are contributing to the problem.

Council members asked why filters were not cleaned more frequently; staff said cleaning is time-consuming, and shutdowns must be scheduled because of chemical handling and the need to block off flow. Staff also reported that some grant programs were unavailable due to median household income thresholds but said other funding opportunities remain possible.

Staff outlined next steps: obtain inspection quotes, determine which actuator(s) or valve(s) are failing, plan an isolated shutdown to permit safe cleaning of filters and schedule repairs. The council did not authorize a specific expenditure at this meeting, but staff said they expect to receive vendor quotes and return with recommendations.