Upgrades planned for water treatment plant

SANDPOINT — The City Council recently approved a preliminary design for a Little Sand Creek Water Treatment Plant rehabilitation project.

The council was given a rundown on the project at its Jan. 17 meeting by Holly Ellis, city construction manager, and Rich Buday, the city’s water treatment supervisor. Updates included information about planned improvements as well as scheduling and budgeting for the project.

While there were extensive upgrades to the facility in 1996, the treatment plant was first constructed in 1960, Buday said.

“We’re approaching that point now where we need to do some serious upgrades,” he said.

At the filter bay, improvements will include applying an epoxy coat to basin interior walls, which should extend their lifespan by around 20 years, Ellis said. 

“The water is migrating through from the filters to the exterior wall,” Buday said. “When we have weather like this we all know what happens. The water is going to freeze and it’s going to break that wall. Part of the project is, we line the interior walls with a liner, then the water can’t migrate through and we stop that damage from occurring so hopefully the plant will last another 30 years.”

Ellis said that currently there are no features to route roof drainage away from the building. With paint peeling and the exterior coating beginning to fail, they are planning to construct gutters and downspouts, as well as resurface CMU (concrete) blocks. 

Concrete around the sediment basin is also beginning to fail. For repairs in this area, construction crews will spot repair corners with latex mortar as well as seal cracks around the basin. 

The project will be funded by the water fund outlined in the city’s 2024 budget. It is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024, Ellis said. Contractors will be offered two windows of time, spring or fall, to complete the project. Because of higher water use in the summer months, work cannot happen at that time. 

The treatment plant will be offlining during the filter bay coating, at which time the lake plant  will serve all water. 

With the council’s unanimous approval, the city can finalize construction documents and advertise the project for bids. The award of a construction contract is expected to return to the council in May.