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Hutchinson approves phased study of wastewater treatment plant with HDR Engineering
Summary
Council approved a phased facility‑planning agreement with HDR Engineering to assess the aging WWTP, examine process resilience and capacity, and develop phased options and finance plans for a new or refurbished plant; staff said the full program could lead to multi‑year design and construction costing into the hundreds of millions.
The Hutchinson City Council authorized a phased engineering agreement with HDR Engineering to study the city’s wastewater treatment plant and identify near‑term repairs, process redundancy needs and long‑term options.
Utilities Director David Gwynn described the existing plant as aged (original sections dating to the 1950s–1960s) and detailed the study scope: evaluate current conditions, identify emergency or life‑safety repairs, analyze whether a greenfield replacement or phased refurbishment is warranted, examine capacity needs and set a staged financing and permitting roadmap. Gwynn said the work is intended to answer when a new plant would be required and how to sequence investments to buy useful life while preserving financing options.
City Engineer Evan Patterson explained the study will be phased: an initial scoping report in about nine months, then a pre‑feasibility phase and a more detailed feasibility and design sequence if council elects to proceed. Patterson said the full program through design could cost roughly $10 million, and construction estimates for a new plant vary widely (transcript discussion referenced ranges from about $100M to $300M), so a staged approach reduces change‑order risk and lets staff focus later phases on a narrowed scope.
Council members emphasized the importance of avoiding near‑term investments that only buy short life and said staff should ensure work in the five‑year CIP increases useful life per dollar. The council approved the HDR phased study and directed staff to return with more financing and scope details as the study progresses.
