(PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
WATER PLANT TALK … Meindering presents the Water System Improvement Study to the board.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Bryan Public Board of Affairs was called into session by President Annette Schreiner on April 1st at 5 p.m. All members were present, including Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade, Director of Utilities Derek Schultz, and Deputy Clerk and Treasurer Patricia Buda.
First on the agenda was to approve the minutes from last month’s meeting, March 18th, with no changes made. There were no public concerns addressed to the board, and they moved on to the presentation of the Water System Improvement Study.
Jake Meinerding, of Jones and Henry Engineers, presented his findings of the completed improvement study.
Meinerding explained that the basis for the study was to evaluate the current city’s water treatment plan, go over necessary improvements, and provide estimated costs for alternative measures.
Currently Bryan has six water wells that could theoretically collect around 6.39 million gallons a day. The water was considered to be high quality but had elevated levels of iron and hardness.
It meets the National Primary drinking water standards with ease. However, the water hardness is high, with a score of 320mg/L. Most communities soften their water anywhere from 120-150 mg/L.
Meinerding said that the current water plant was rated to produce 5 MGD (millions of gallons a day) and while that is possible with the six water wells, he expressed concerns that the state of the plant would not be able to keep up.
Bryan usually only uses two to three wells at a time, as their current output is only 1.8 MGD at peak. The current building is not reaching its full potential and with the aging systems, it is not expected to reach any more. While dated, the equipment is very well maintained, Meinerding pointed out.
There were recent failures in pressure filters which is a cause of major concern. Due to the structure of the building, a full replacement of the filters would prove to be quite difficult, if not impossible.
Only “band-aid” fixes could be made. The status of the clearwell structural evaluation of the building is still pending.
Other than the filter issues, no other major problems were found. Thanks to the dedication of the water treatment workers, this fifty year old building is in surprisingly good condition.
The question is; how long will this last? Can the town continue to help keep the old building up and running, or is it time to start preparing for a new future?
A plan was proposed to construct a new water treatment plant. This plant would likely have to be placed outside of the main town limits due to new safety and health regulations.
Meinerding proposed putting it next to the city’s solar field, where it would meet the state’s necessary isolation. This is to prevent any source of contamination to the water.
The location is next to the railroad, which can see up to 60-70 trains a day. Some of these carry hazardous material and Bryan has had unfortunate derailments in the past.
Schreiner expressed worries about field run-offs. Meinerding said, “.. they really haven’t put any rules in place as far as (the) isolation radius from railroads.” There are many communities with railroads that are close to their water wells.
While offering many different variations of plans, Meinerding stated that if the board was interested in building a new treatment plant, they would have to build entirely new water wells.
The current wells would not be usable as they would be too far away from the constructed plant. With additional money, the city could build a new pipeline that connects the old wells to the new, creating additional water access and a backup plan, but this would be a strenuous project. “It would be a lot of cost for maybe some well fields that can’t be used in the future,” he says.
It is estimated that the construction would take anywhere from eight to ten years to fully complete. The new 5 MGD treatment plant with a wellfield and softening treatment would last the city over fifty years and would cost anywhere from $47,500,000 to $65,000,000.
It’s important to note that this was the most expensive, but most lucrative option. Several rehab options were also presented for the current plant, which would only be expected to last thirty years at maximum. Eyre stated, “It (current WTC) is 50 years old; it’s time to move forward.”
The board moved on to approve a new streetlight to be installed on Portland Street in the south cul-de-sac. They also agreed to authorize an electric system study for the town.
Director Shultz took the time to thank the hard work and training the utility workers have been putting in. He mentioned that BMU won first place in the “Knock Your Socks Off” contest, which is a worldwide celebration for World Down Syndrome Day. Schultz was also named the Williams County Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO) Member of the Year.
Eyre circled back to the improvement study, and closed with, “The water study will probably be one of the most important things in our lifetime, and we will have an opportunity to contribute to make a decision.” There is still much discussion to be had before a decision is made.
With no further comments from the board, the BPA meeting adjourned at 6:28 p.m.