The Levelland City Council had their regular meeting Monday night, which resulted in a presentation of the new wastewater treatment plant, fire suppression agreement and city boards lists.
Parkhill, the engineering firm handling the wastewater treatment plant project for the city were present to discuss their progress, as well as give council their next steps.
It was highlighted that the new wastewater treatment plant will be average 1.8 million gallons a day. The engineer touched on site layout as full-scale renderings were needed to put together the different aspects of what makes the plant such as headworksscreening and grit removal, biological treatment, clarification, disinfection, dewatering and final disposal.
Each one of those categories was expanded on for the council with the addition of the upcoming schedule layout and next steps concerning the plant.
The headworks-screening and grit removal phase of the plant is the first step of the process has it essentially removes the floating items such as rags, trash and debris from the water. Looking at multiple options for the headworks option, the screening system will be a robust multi-rake bar screen that is also self-cleaning.
Compared to other screens, the system chosen will have minimal moving parts, no spray or rotating brushes and will be ideal for high screening volumes. The channel itself is overrated for peak flow as it can flow 2.1 to 5.4 MGD-Intermittent.
The engineer highlighted that the selected type of technology has been around for 100 years and has been proven to work. That is also what helped city staff and the engineer team to decide on going that particular route.
The next possible step would be grit removal, however, TCEQ does not require grit removal. Operators have also indicated that the current grit load is fairly low, but space for a grit unit option was included in the layout plans if needed. That may become a requirement if the ethanol plant requires that option with cost share.
In regard to biological treatment, this section will be the big portion of the operation as what is in the water is transformed into bio-mass that is then dewatered and hauled off.
This section will be the largest portion of where treatment occurs. The layout includes two large hotdog shaped pools that will have four mixers, an oxidation ditch and will allow the city to produce better quality water after the process is completed. Less sludge production is expected as this method has seen more success than others.
Clarification will follow which separates solids from the water itself. The large pool of water will be 62 feet in diameter and 14 feet deep. It was added that the design of this portion is the most efficient and will have low power consumption with the motor that will be installed. The components placed in this portion of the plant will be 316 stainless steel which can last for 30 years or more. Additionally, going with the stainless steel components was based on the overall value and consideration of the budget.
Disinfection is the next step of the plant and is currently being debated upon with two options available.
A chlorine gas system with contact basins is one option as it appears to be the most affective given the cost. If 0.93 million gallons a day is the amount the plant operates at, that would be considered the ideal scenario and effective.
With this system, the water can be dosed for type one or type two reuse and the process also prevents algae.
The alternative method is a uv disinfection system that is more cost effective for plants that operate above 0.93 million gallons a day. The system can meet type two reuse and the bulbs can be adjusted or dimmed if needed. There is a higher construction cost associated with this system, but there is also a lower operation and maintenance cost. Additionally, no hazardous chemicals would be required.
The final portion of the process is dewatering, which will utilize a belt press. The belt press method offers a high loading rate giving operational flexibility to staff. Lower polymer usage will be implemented and continuous operation is not required. The other benefit of operating the belt system is the local operator expertise which allows staff to handle problems easily in this portion of the process.
A Schedule sheet was provided, showing that the lengthy permitting process for the plant was almost at an end. Following the permit process, surveying will begin, followed by bidding, and finally construction.
The final phase is expected to begin in 2025.
The fire suppression agreement with Hockley County was brought before the group for approval or further discussion. Earlier in the day, the Hockley County Commissioners met for their regular meeting as well, in which they were pleased with the current fire agreement.
However, multiple council members raised questions regarding inflation and if the city is not losing money in the agreement.
Currently, the city charges the County $945 per fire run performed. It was explained to council that city staff based the actual cost incurred by the city in providing such services for the county in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. This included aspects such as personnel expenses and equipment expenses. Council Members Breann Buxkemper and Jim Myatt suggested that in a time of inflation, cost of business adjustment may need to be added to the agreement.
After further discussion, the council moved forward with tabeling the item until the next council meeting to allow city staff to gather more data to determine if the city was operating in a positive direction with the current agreement in place.
The council also discussed the multiple vacancies on their various municipal boards and task forces. Openings on various boards were given to council and a press release from the city regarding all the available spots reads as follows: “The City of Levelland is seeking out citizens with a desire to be involved in the various city boards and commissions for the next term. Each year, the Levelland City Council appoints members of the community to the various city boards and commissions. Specific city boards with vacancies include Main Street, Levelland Community Development Corporations, Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Housing Standards Board.
“In 2021, Council asked us to take a more proactive approach in recruiting for these boards, and it has really paid off with some new faces and some new energy,” said Andréa Corley, City Secretary. “We are asking any citizens who have an interest in being involved to turn in an interest form.”
Before wrapping up the meeting, Interim City Manager Joe Cavasos brought key dates to the council concerning the upcoming budget season for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Cavasos explained that the last day to file a proposed budget with the city secretary to adopt a budget on August 21, must be filed at least 30 days before the budget is adopted. Additionally, certified values must be issued no later than July 25. By August 7, tax rates must be submitted to the council and the city must post a tax rate calculation and debt information on the website.