MAPLETON – An asset management inspection at Mapleton's water facilities revealed items identified as being in poor condition, resulting in nearly $2 million worth of repairs being recommended as soon as possible.
Ryan Steckley, senior project manager with CIMA+, presented condition assessment on the Drayton Water Treatment Plant and Moorefield Well Distribution System to Mapleton council at a meeting Tuesday.
Structurally, the buildings appeared to be in fair condition, but Steckely explained there were some issues identified.
Corrosion was evident at both pump houses.
Steckley attributed this to the humid environment but also the way chemicals are stored in the facility. Some chlorine tanks were not airtight and therefore could off-gas.
“Having that chlorine in the air advances some of the corrosion on the electrical equipment as well as the process equipment,” Steckley said. “Some of the equipment is fairly corroded.”
One water pump at the Drayton station was found to not be working properly, a flow meter was missing, ventilation needed improvement and electrical wasn’t always up to code among other problems noted.
The list seemed to go on, some issues more pressing than others, but there was a $1.8 million price tag placed on upgrades or repairs deemed immediately necessary.
Councillor Paul Douglas was concerned about the cost which wasn’t budgeted for and asked public works director Sam Mattina what the plan was to address this.
“The plan would be now to try to schedule these repairs over the number of years they are recommended and determine what the impacts will be to the water and wastewater rates in order to fund this,” Mattina said. “It is a user pay account, so we’d have to assess the criticality and how quickly we want to perform these repairs.”
Councillor Michael Martin said it’s a good thing the general public doesn’t regularly tune into the council meetings because how some equipment looked in the pictures.
“Just by viewing the condition of some of this equipment, I think we run the risk of losing public confidence in our water system,” Martin said.
Steckley said pictures don’t always tell the whole story and some of the equipment could still last.
Martin asked who is responsible for overseeing the condition of equipment, although he added he wasn’t looking to point fingers.
Mattina said some of these problems should be identified from those who go to these facilities almost daily.
Mayor Gregg Davidson said as a former businessman, regular maintenance and cleanliness is important and Mapleton is failing to do so as a provider of municipal water.
“I look at this report I see there is a breakdown of keeping equipment in reliable condition,” Davidson said. “Why is it there are pressure gauges broken and not replaced, we have corrosion that can be cleaned ... proper ventilation in the area where it comes to chemical storage is paramount, that could be a health and safety issue.”
Councillor Dennis Craven directly asked if Mapleton water was safe to drink.
In a mandatory yearly report on water quality, Mattina stressed the township’s water is completely safe to drink.
