Chandler council OKs more than $13M for water treatment

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

In recent years, at least one member of the Chandler City Council has asked for a presentation or for staff to take questions before voting on purchases as large as $13 million.

Not so during the week of Oct. 16, when council approved that amount on a consent agenda for a set of contracts for water system upgrades at the Pecos Surface Water Treatment Plant.

Council approved a construction manager-at-risk, $12.91 million contract with Archer Western for what city staff call the Water System Upgrades Program. Archer Western will upgrade the Pecos Surface Water Treatment Plant, which was built in the late 1980s and hasn’t been expanded since 2006.

A staff report states the current treatment capacity of the Pecos plant is 60 million gallons per day. In recent years, the report states, the source water quality from the Salt River Project that feeds the plant has been “dramatically changing” in certain characteristics, such as total organic carbon.

Before his recent retirement, Public Works Director John Knudson told council about this and other water-quality issues during a study session.

Advanced water treatment upgrades are necessary to treat the more challenging incoming water quality, the report states.

Also, according to the staff report, existing unit processes, such as filters and “dewatering” are in need of rehabilitation and replacement.

The work scope of the project includes process improvements to enhance the maximum process and hydraulic throughput of the plant, including the post-filter granular activated carbon contractors, chlorine dioxide facility, equalization pump improvements and a new dewatering building with modernized and energy-efficient equipment.

The project completion time is 289 days. The staff report said the balance of construction will be included in future approvals, to be brought to council at later dates.

A related $357,000 pre-construction services construction contract amendment with Archer Western and a $2.6 million consulting services contract with Hazen and Sawyer were also approved by council at the Oct. 16 meeting, as was a $1.086 million purchase and installation of granular activated carbon, from Calgon Carbon Corp., for water-treatment use.

Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as those meet our  Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.