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Engineering study recommends regulator station and pipe upgrades to meet Kechi’s 10-year gas demand
Summary
Utility Safety & Design, Inc. (USDI) presented a natural-gas distribution model showing the current Kechi system can sustain present loads at 45 psig but recommended replacing a 2" steel main with 6" PE, installing a Southern Star regulator station east of the railroad, and adding about 1.8 miles (9,530 ft) of 6" PE main to support projected 5–10 year growth.
Utility Safety & Design, Inc. (USDI) presented the results of a natural-gas system model and recommended a set of infrastructure changes to meet the city’s projected 5–10 year growth. The report models the existing system (630 active customers; current modeled load ~34.5 mcfh) and several growth scenarios; USDI concluded that targeted upgrades would be needed for reliable 10-year expansion.
"If the system continues to operate at 45 psig, the current loads as well as 2026 Winter Loads will be sustained with no issues," the report states. USDI recommended replacing the 2" steel main under the railroad tracks with a 6" PE main, constructing roughly 1.8 miles (9,530 feet) of 6" PE main to serve northern expansions, and adding a Southern Star regulator station on the southern edge of town (near E. 53rd St. and N. Woodlawn Blvd.) to feed the eastern system. The consultant’s detailed iterations show that the 45-psig system can handle near-term increases but that more extensive changes (new regulator and looping main) would provide the capacity margin for planned 10-year growth.
Council moved to "receive and file" the USDI study. The minutes and appended USDI report include modeling details such as baseline modeled pressures, iteration scenarios, and summary recommendations; the minutes do not show a council direction to budget for construction at this meeting. Staff and council will need to return with cost estimates, contractor proposals, and a financing plan before any physical work begins.
