The Jefferson city council at its March 11 meeting approved a contract with MHF Engineering for a study of the water and sewer infrastructure in the northwest portion of the city. Cost of the study is $13,750, which will come from the city’s wastewater fund.
The council had discussed the study at its Feb. 25 meeting, but did not approve it by a 2-1 vote with two council members absent. The council agreed then to take up the question again with all members present.
“It’s something that needs to be done regardless of what happens in June,” city engineer John Milligan said referring to the study and the June announcement of the outcome of the application of a gaming license for a casino proposed for that part of the city. “We’ve got two industrial parks that hopefully will be developed, and in order for that to occur, this information would have to be on file anyway.”
New information presented to the city council Tuesday concerned a shortage of information coming from the five lift stations that move wastewater from that area into the gravity flow system. Currently the lift stations have only an alarm system that signals a problem.
Milligan has checked the cost to put monitors on each that would feed continuous data about flows to the wastewater treatment plant. He estimates total cost of between $15,000 and $20,000. He said he can closely estimate what the wastewater flow is in a dry season, but he has no information about wet weather flows. He would like to have the computer monitors installed as soon as possible, and he’d like to see a rainy spring, he said.
The council approved the study unanimously but did not act to approve purchase of the monitors. City administrator Mike Palmer said the monitors would be discussed at a future meeting.
Milligan said he is confident that the infrastructure for water is adequate for future needs in that sector of the city.
