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Council hears heat‑map findings on Hutto brown‑water complaints as CIP projects advance
Summary
City staff presented a major CIP update and initial results from a multi‑month heat map of brown‑water complaints. Public Works reports clusters have been mitigated with flushing; council stressed the need to identify which wholesale provider serves affected neighborhoods before committing to multi‑million dollar capital fixes.
The Hutto City Council received an extended capital improvement projects update on June 4 that included transportation, wastewater and water distribution items and a briefing on a multi‑month heat‑map analysis of brown‑water water quality complaints.
Interim City Engineer Patricia Davis told council that multiple transportation projects remain in design, some projects are awaiting UPRR and TxDOT review and several projects will not be advertised for bidding until right‑of‑way parcels are secured. Davis outlined the status of specific projects and said the city will bring supplemental items for consultant work and change orders as needed.
Public Works Director Rick Coronado gave the water‑quality update. He said staff had compiled heat‑map data over four months and identified clusters, primarily in western portions of the distribution system that are supplied by a wholesale provider. “Some of the larger clusters have been addressed with flushing,” Coronado said, and staff will return to council in about two weeks with additional mapping and system‑age modeling. Council members pressed staff to clarify which neighborhoods are fed by which wholesale providers (Manville, Jonah or the City of Hutto) and to communicate that information to residents so they know which utility is responsible for mitigation.
Council member discussion focused on risk and timing: one council member asked whether a proposed $20 million water project could be premature if the discolored‑water complaints originate with a wholesale provider and not the city. City staff agreed to continue heat‑mapping, coordinate system mapping with public works and bring a mitigation plan and clearer neighborhood‑level information to a future meeting.
