Foss plant report done; no action yet

A 105-page report on possible improvements to the Charles Engleman Water Treatment Plant at Foss Reservoir was delivered last week to Foss Project Manager Shawn Dewees, but the report’s contents were not discussed at Tuesday night’s monthly meeting of the district’s board of directors.
Dewees said he had read the report but had not had time to digest its contents. He suggested that a discussion be delayed until the next meeting of the board on Nov. 12. The board agreed, as did its consultant, Duane Smith.
No one was present from Burns & McDonnell, the engineering company that prepared the report under a not-to-exceed $150,000 contract it was awarded in April.
“The report needs to be cleaned up,” said Dewees. “I’m not prepared to ask the board to make a decision tonight.”
Among things under consideration are improvements to or replacement of the plant’s clarifier and filtration system, as well as upgrades to its chemical feed system.
Board Chairman David Berrong, who is also Clinton’s mayor, asked at what point in the process the board would be asked to hire someone to make the improvements.
“I think once I go through it again, I should be more prepared,” said Dewees. “At that time we need to start talking about how we pay for it. Do we take all the money we have in the bank, or do we pursue a loan?”
He also said a rate analysis might be in order – that is, what the district charges its four member cities. Besides Clinton, which is entitled to almost half the water produced at the plant and is also obligated for nearly half its costs, the other member cities are Hobart, Cordell and Bessie.
Smith, the consultant, said he thinks a rate analysis is in order, along with decisions about a time frame for the work.
“Do we do it all at once or piece it out?” he asked. “Do we do the clarifier first? Either way we need to know the rates.”
He also asked what type of cash reserve is appropriate for the Foss district. “Is it two times the annual budget?” he asked, adding that the district’s only source of revenue is water rates.
Smith said again that everything starts with the clarifier.
“The clarifier is the most critical piece,” he said. “The filters are failing or about to, but that’s because of the clarifier.”
He added, “If it fails, we still have to do it. Clarifier failure is one thing. Filter failure is bad but not as bad.”
Berrong asked if the written report has cost numbers in it. “Yes,” answered Dewees.
“If we just do a clarifier, we don’t need an engineer,” said Smith. “Shawn can do that.
“We thought last month we could make a decision (at the October meeting), but we’re still a month away.”
The questions still confronting the board, said Smith, are what needs to be done and what it’s going to cost.
“But again, how long can we put it off?” asked J.C. Sperle, Bessie’s lone board member.
Smith said the fix on it would cost about the same, whether a major part of the treatment system fails or it’s rehabbed before it fails.
Steve McLaughlin, Cordell’s lone board member, asked if there’s any new technology that would help the situation.
“We’re asking ’em to look at a ceramic filter,” replied Smith. But he added that whatever is selected has to be “tried, true and dependable.” And he said, apparently referring to Burns & McDonnell, “They’re trying to be solution oriented.”
Smith concluded the discussion with a shocking revelation about the past week’s rainfall.
“We’ve got 900 million gallons a day coming into Foss Reservoir, and we’re putting out a million five,” he said. “That’s pretty amazing.”
After the meeting, the Clinton Daily News reporter covering it told Dewees that it sounds like the reservoir is sending a lot of water down the Washita River.
“No, we’re holding it all,” he replied.
The reporter also asked how much money the district has in the bank, since Smith had asked whether the district should put all its bank funds into the project or float a loan. Dewees said the district has $4.3 million in the bank but it has a few more assets.
Berrong, also speaking after the meeting, thought the district’s total reserves are about $5 million.
Board members did vote to spend some money at the meeting, authorizing Dewees to buy approximately $100,000 worth of membranes for the filtration system. “It’s in the budget,” he said, agreeing that it’s a large purchase. But he added, “By making a larger purchase, we get a better deal.”
The membranes will be bought from Suez Water, a major international supplier.
Dr. Bill Jackson, one of Clinton’s three board members, asked how long the membranes would last. Dewees mentioned 10 to 15 years but said it depends on what conditions the plant is run under. He inferred that if it’s run all-out as it was during the 2011-2015 drought when Clinton was buying all the water it could get from Foss, they won’t last nearly as long as they would under normal conditions.  
In his monthly manager’s report, Dewees showed that Clinton received 644,300 gallons of water from Foss during September. That compared to 15.9 million gallons for Hobart, 7.2 million for Cordell, and 574,000 for Bessie. The plant produced a total of 28.8 million gallons.
The 644,000 gallons for Clinton was just a tiny fraction of what it’s authorized under its contract with the district so of course it did not have to pay anything extra. The city’s Public Works director, Donald Webb, said Thursday that water probably went to the Canyons West housing addition west of town and to rural customers. He said the city itself is still using no Foss water, and it hasn’t been for about a year.