Beginning July 1, City of Bartlesville utility customers will see an increase on their monthly utility bill with adjustments to Water, Wastewater and Sanitation. The increases are necessary to fund infrastructure upgrades to the City’s water and waste water systems and to cover the cost providing these services. Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen breaks it down for us in this week’s Director’s Cut.
City Beat: As the Water Utilities director, you oversee both the water and wastewater functions in the City. What are the major upgrades planned for these systems?
Lauritsen: The major upgrades required for these systems and the estimated associated costs are:
- The renovation of the Chickasaw Waste Water Treatment Plant — $45 million
- Improvements to the Caney River Wastewater Pump Corridor — $20 million
- Improvements to the wastewater collection system — $3.7 million
- Improvements to the water distribution system — $3.3 million
- Replacement of equipment (pumps, motors, controllers) at the Water Treatment Plant — $1 million
The City is under mandate via consent order by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to complete these projects. Are penalties involved if the requirements are not met? How much are they?
The current consent order only covers the renovation of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is required to be under construction by June 2023. The City is subject to penalties if the terms of the consent order are not met. Violation of a consent order carries a monetary fine; currently, these fines range from $100 to $300 per day, not to exceed $75,000.
Is this the only project remaining in the consent order or will more improvements be required after these improvements are completed?
Once improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant are underway, City staff anticipates receiving another consent order to require the completion of the Caney River Wastewater Pump Corridor.
Aside from being required by State regulatory bodies, why are these projects necessary?
The Wastewater Treatment Plant and Caney River Pump Corridor will alleviate untreated wastewater discharges, which currently happen when we receive any rain event over 1.5 inches. Previous upgrades to the wastewater collection system have improved the conveyance of the system, and the plant and Caney River Pump Corridor are the last bottleneck to ensure wastewater remains in the pipe and receives the necessary treatment prior to being discharged to the environment.
For the collection and water distribution systems, the average age of the underground water pipes is 60 years and, for the wastewater pipes, 50 years. The typical service life of these pipes is 75 years. The City is accelerating replacement programs to be proactive in the management of these systems to mitigate future service disruptions.
For the water plant equipment, the plant was completed in 2006, and many of the large pumps, controllers and motors are nearing the end of their service life, which is between 15 to 20 years.
The City has been making improvements to its water and wastewater infrastructure, under ODEQ consent order, for several years, correct?
We have been under one consent order or another, both issued by the ODEQ or the EPA, since the mid-1980s. Over the past 25 years, the City has spent more than $38.5 million making required improvements primarily to the collection/conveyance system and to reduce storm water inflow and infiltration.
How have those projects been funded?
These projects have been funded on a “pay as you go” system with revenues from utility enterprise funds, or money collected from utility customers for their monthly utility services. We are unable to do that with these larger projects, however, due to the scope and cost of the projects.
How will these improvements be funded?
We will seek low interest loans from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for the Wastewater Treatment Plant renovation and the Caney River Wastewater Pump Corridor improvements. The remaining projects will be on a “pay as you go” basis, with no financing required.
Is the City meeting its obligations per the consent order at this time?
Yes, the City has completed all previous consent orders and is in compliance with the current consent order.
What is the “worst case scenario” if these upgrades are not completed and the consent order(s) are not fulfilled?
If the City does not complete the consent order, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has the ability to issue a consent decree, which is a court order stipulating the completion of various tasks with additional financial and legal ramifications.
Will utility customers see any changes in their service as a result of these improvements?
Not an appreciable difference. The Wastewater Treatment Plant and Caney River Wastewater Pump Corridor projects will eliminate chronic areas that the wastewater system bypasses (untreated wastewater comes out of manholes and discharges to ditches and creeks, the wastewater bypasses treatment before being discharged to the environment), which have been consolidated to the collection system along the Caney River.
What does the renovation of the Chickasaw Wastewater Treatment Plant entail?
The capacity of the plant will be increased, antiquated systems upgraded (many of these are over 30 years old) and approximately half of the wastewater processed through the plant will have the ability to be treated to a higher standard for water reuse.
When will construction begin?
June 2023.
Will there be any disruptions in service due to these upgrades?
There may be minor service disruptions to move from the old to new systems, but these will be communicated to affected customers and done during low usage times to minimize the disruption.
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