Chandler spending millions on water treatment improvements

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Everything seems to have skyrocketed in cost within the past few years — including water treatment and utiltiie consulting.

“One of our plants is about 35 years old,” Chandler Public Works and Utilities Director John Knudson told his city’s Council at a Nov. 4 study session. “It needs a little bit of work.”

One of the most expensive items approved by council at its Nov. 7 meeting were three contracts, totaling almost $15 million, for the city’s Water System Upgrades Program.

Knudson explained to council that the Pecos Surface Water Treatment Plant, located on Pecos Road, has a processing capacity rated at 60 million gallons per day.

“We tried running the plant at MGD for about two weeks, and it really struggles to hit that,” Knudson.

Knudson said with the help of a consultant, staff have created ways to improve the process with four existing filters, rather than build new, more-expensive additional filters.

“This is the culmination of about a year’s worth of work between staff and our consultant, Hazen and Sawyer, on various water challenges, and have come up with about five different projects that will help improve output and efficiency, eliminating (chemical formations) and improve the taste of Chandler’s water,” Knudson said.

Chandler’s water distribution system includes more than 1,200 miles of water mains, 19 reservoir and booster sites, and 30 active drinking water wells, and also receives water from the Santan Vista Water Treatment Plant in Gilbert, which is owned jointly by the city of Chandler and the town of Gilbert, a staff report states.

An existing consulting contract with Hazen and Sawyer will be amended to add $11.6 million to the agreement, acccording to a report for one Nov. 7 agenda item. Council also approved a $2.1 million contract for some of the prescribed Pecos plant improvements and a $914,000 pre-construction services contract with Archer Western Construction, LLC.

Unrelated to the Pecos plant projects, council also approved almost $6.5 million contracts for the Hamilton Street reclaimed water transmission main.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

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.