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Council approves up to $200,000 emergency appropriation to replace filters at water treatment plant
Summary
Town staff said two of the plant's three filters (built 30–40 years ago) show underdrain failure and recommended using ARPA interest and water reserves to fund media and underdrain replacement; council approved a not-to-exceed $200,000 appropriation to address the urgent repairs.
Town staff told council that two of the water treatment plant's three gravity sand/anthracite filters are showing signs of structural underdrain deterioration, with operators observing "coning" during backwashing that indicates underdrain failure. Given the age of the filters and a national supply shortage of a specific garnet sand layer, staff requested authorization of an emergency budget amendment up to $200,000 so work can begin without procurement delay.
Andrea Broshkovich summarized the risks: "the underdrain systems in filter 1 and 3 are exhibiting clear indicators of structural deterioration," and staff recommended replacing media and underdrains for filter 1 and 3 and optionally filter 2, funded by ARPA interest and water fund reserves. Council approved the emergency appropriation and authorized the town manager to execute contracts up to the approved amount to avoid delays.
