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Water and sewer budgets rise for supplies, valve replacements and Veolia contract work
Summary
Public Works detailed increases in chemicals, fittings and operational supplies for water and sewer, a $300,000 capital-equipment request and heightened engineering/repair costs tied to camera inspections and damage from third-party fiber bores; staff said the city will seek to bill responsible contractors for repairs.
Public Works staff described the water and wastewater enterprise budgets and highlighted several points that drive higher line items.
For the water fund staff listed commodity increases (chlorine and other chemicals), an uptick in operational supplies (fittings and clamps) and a capital-equipment outlay request of $300,000 to buy a Bobcat and additional dump trucks shared between Streets, Water and Sewer. Staff explained a $1.33 per-locate cost charged by 811/DigSafe and budgeting for blue (water) and green (sewer) flags for locates.
On the sewer side staff said operational and contract services rose because of a planned program of camera inspection, surge cleaning and repairs after video inspections; they noted a vac truck and high-cost nozzles for the cleaning unit. Staff said some sewer damage has resulted from third-party fiber bores and that the city intends to send letters prepared by the city attorney and pursue cost recovery where appropriate.
Staff also discussed valve replacement targets tied to federal lead-and-copper requirements (replacement percentages discussed during the meeting) and said the system has approximately 2,400 valves; planned replacements of about 100 valves a year were described as part of routine maintenance. Commissioners requested additional historical expenditure detail and clearer separation between engineering and maintenance charges.
