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Public works details meter replacement plan, hydrant metering and a water‑tower leak
Summary
Public works staff reported July water production (1,577,000 gallons; avg. 50,871/day), confirmed one hydrant is unmetered, described difficulties replacing buried meters and proposed a phased replacement schedule, and said they will test a suspected leak at the water tower.
Public works staff reported July water production of 1,577,000 gallons (about 50,871 gallons per day) and wastewater of 113,518 gallons (about 3,662 gallons per day). Staff said there were no operational problems at the treatment facilities, but highlighted ongoing work to improve metering and data collection for city facilities and parks.
Bobby, the public works operator, told the council the wastewater plant is metered but the hydrant outside the water treatment plant is not, and that estimating flow from a hydrant without a temporary meter adapter is imprecise: "There's no way I'll be able to figure out how much water is coming out of the the hose itself..." He said he will try to borrow an adapter to gather short‑term flow readings and investigate a drip at the water tower that could be 1–2 gallons per minute (potentially hundreds of thousands of gallons annually if continuous). Council discussed replacing meters in phased batches (for example, two per month or a small weekly schedule) because each buried meter requires digging and clearing packed gravel, and staff aim to provide a replacement schedule by the next meeting.
Why it matters: better metering will give the city more accurate usage data, help target water loss, and allow ARPA funds to be obligated effectively before the end‑of‑year deadline for obligations. Staff will return with estimates of time and cost to replace meters and possible casing options to reduce repeated digging.
