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Board hears high‑level cost comparison: gravity, effluent and Solvang connection
Summary
Staff presented preliminary capital and annual O&M estimates showing gravity collection capital roughly $28M, full‑district effluent collection about $25.7M (including ~$7M in tanks), a local MBR treatment roughly $19.9M, and per‑parcel annual O&M varying by option; board asked for independent verification of the comparative costs.
General Manager Guy Savage walked the board through ballpark cost estimates, cautioning they are early‑stage engineer projections and will change with refined design.
Savage reported collection capital for an all‑gravity system at "just a little bit south of $28 million" and an all‑effluent collection capital of about $25.7 million, with roughly $7 million assumed for in‑ground tanks in the effluent scenario. He told the board he divided total collection cost by 372 parcels as a simplifying assumption for initial per‑parcel figures.
On treatment, Savage said a local membrane‑bioreactor (MBR) plant sited in the district would run about $19.9 million for construction; connecting to the City of Solvang requires building a transmission line and buying capacity, and Solvang connection typically reduces the scope and cost of environmental review. For disposal, percolation chambers were estimated at roughly $1.2 million to build plus land (Savage used a $4 million land placeholder when included in local disposal capital estimates). Savage emphasized contingencies, the need to recheck assumptions, and the plan to produce parcel‑level allocations in a later stage.
Board members asked for a verification vendor to validate comparative numbers; the board approved a motion to defer collection choice until a new contractor refines and confirms cost differences.
