Drainage, sewer problems addressed by council

By submitted, 05/21/24 9:48 AM

PRESCOTT – Much of May’s Prescott City Council meeting concerned problems with sewers and drainage.

Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver read a two-page statement on the problems with wastewater collection at Wildcat Road. He said the collection system surcharges and sometimes overflows during excessive rain events, which is a seasonal problem. The city, he continued, hasn’t ignored the issue and has made several efforts to resolve the issue and minimize the impact on customer services, but can’t handle the extent of necessary repair/replacement and improvement without funding and contractor involvement.

He said the system for Wildcat Road flows into a lift station on the corner of Wildcat Road and Hatley St., which wasn’t sized to handle excess rain events. The city, he added, has overhauled the pumps and installed the largest impellers available to increase the pumping capacity to help shorten the recover time after a surcharge event.

The system, Oliver continued, also has some inflow and infiltration problems, but the city hasn’t been able, within its capabilities, to find the locations. The city is working with A.L. Franks Engineers to include the wastewater collection system in the Sewer System Evaluation Survey (SSES) to identify the problems and make improvements as part of the wastewater treatment plant upgrade project.

Residents in the area have experienced sewer service problems when it rains. The city has installed sewer devices to prevent sewer services from flowing backwards into residences and, during rain events, monitors the affected sewer services to make sure they’re functioning properly and normal flows return quickly.

One of the problems is the Wildcat Road collection system is one of the deepest and least accessible in the city’s system, which is why a SSES is needed. When the city had a rate study done for the upcoming water project, he said, it included a rate study for the sewer department as well. This will also help determine the impact on sewer rates to fund the wastewater treatment plant upgrade and collection system improvement project. Oliver said the Wildcat Road system is included in the upcoming project.

He said the city gets a lot of complaints from residents in the region and wants them to know they haven’t been forgotten, and the city is working to fix the situation but it’ll take some time.

Mary Godwin, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, said a representative from Franks was in town to check on the drainage project in the McRae area, which began yesterday. She said Franks has 90-100 days to complete the project, and, barring weather problems, there should be no problem in getting it done. Oliver added this drainage project was started in 2021 with a community block grant and work has finally begun. The contractor, he added, is Frances Excavating of Nash, TX. Oliver pointed out there could be traffic problems as crews work on the culverts and drainage.

The road at TA was also examined, she said. Several years ago, she reminded the council, the city approved fixing part of the road, which is a city street, but another part is in need of repair. Godwin said the sales tax can be used to help, but the overall cost will be determined by the extent of the work the city agrees to have done. This work, she added, will have to be done over the summer, which means the engineering part can be done in the winter.

To help with some of the drainage and flooding issues the city has, she continued, a hazard mitigation plan has been sent from her office to the mayor and Perry Nelson, water superintendent. This is a 75/25 grant which can be used for issues caused by natural disasters. She told the council she’ll check and see if a tornado safe room would qualify with these funds.

She pointed out the area has had a rainy season and there has been a lot of calls about yards not being mowed. Because of the weather, a lot of people have gotten behind on their mowing, she said.

The city’s street department has started tearing down some of the older building at Potlatch and she’s compiling a list of other houses to be demolished this year. However, she’ll have to talk to the city attorney because several of these homes are owned by banks located elsewhere.

The Rev. John Noggle, with the First United Methodist Church, read a prepared statement asking the city to look into using levelized billing for customers of Prescott Water and Light. He spoke as a representative of the Prescott Ministerial Alliance, saying residents are having problems with energy costs and are  asking churches to help, but the alliance only set $1,500 aside for such assistance.

He said he’s talked with Rural Electric Cooperatives in the state, along with the Clarksville Municipal Utilities to see how they’re helping customers with their services. This, he said, is done with levelized billing, with Clarksville using a Springbrook Program for its electric, water and other services offered by the city. He said it helps the city as well as the citizens, with a reduction in the number of disconnects and service calls. The alliance, Noggle said, is asking the city to invest in a levelized program as it would keep energy costs down and both the city and residents would know what the costs would be each month, within reason.

Larry Jones, Jr., said the city looked into a levelized system, but it’s not allowed on the current system the city uses. However, he added, the city is looking for one that does as the current system is having problems and will need to be replaced soon. Jones said the city will also need to see how it’ll be affected with levelized billing. Levelizing will be based on a 12-month basis, he added, but most systems won’t allow levelized billing if a customer has been shut off or late on paying. He added, those with disabilities or are 65 or older can fill out an application and not be penalized for late payments.