A recurring theme of city government in Webster City, in recent years, is renewal of the city’s utilities. Due to aging facilities and increasing demand, the city’s wastewater, electrical and water treatment plants will be upgraded, or completely replaced.
It’s expensive, and must be done with a careful eye on keeping local taxes and bonding at affordable levels.
The overall plan is to look for capital cost reductions in the proposed wastewater plant, and build a new electrical substation and transmission lines for the electric utility, both on a high-priority basis. The wastewater plant is on a faster track, as its output must meet federal and state regulations. Work on the electrical utility is following a longer-term, phased upgrading.
After assessing the condition of the water treatment plant, it was decided an approximately $5 million program of renovations should be adequate to keep it running for perhaps another five to 10 years, giving some “breathing room” while the other two projects are completed. At some time in the future, though, the plant is due for a complete overhaul or replacement.
At its regularly scheduled Monday night meeting the City Council of Webster City voted to begin the planned renovations to the water treatment plant. The first project will be to repaint the plant’s lime and soda ash silos as a matter of general maintenance. Plant Supervisor Nick Knowles noted the “silos are critical components of the city’s water treatment plant, and their maintenance is essential to ensuring their long-term functionality.”
The source of Webster City’s water is three 2,000-foot deep wells drawing from the Jordan Aquifer. With average hardness of 450 parts per million, the raw water from these wells ranks as “very hard.” The city’s water treatment plant at 502 White Fox Road is effectively a giant water softener that reduces the hardness to about 120 ppm before releasing it for use. The plant employs a lime soda ash process to do this.
Two quotes were received to prepare the metal surface of the silos, prime, paint and make spot welding repairs as needed. The low bidder was Utility Service Company, Inc. of Perry, Georgia, in the amount of $65,979. Local contractor Peterson Construction bid $86,155 on the job. The silos were last painted in 1994. Funds for the project were budgeted in the water plant capital improvement plan, and paid for through the 2024 water revenue bond.
The council also voted to buy three new trucks for use by two city departments. One is a replacement pickup truck for the city’s water treatment plant; the other two will be put to work in the line department.
The water treatment plant’s present vehicle is a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado that’s reached the end of its useful life. In his memorandum to the council, Knowles advised the vehicle needs to be “replaced due to age, reliability and escalating maintenance costs.”
In reply to a city request, Jacob Madsen, who heads government sales for Karl’s Emergency Vehicles division in Des Moines, quoted a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 four-wheel drive double cab pickup at $43,812.60 net. The price reflects a $3,800 government discount and $1,287.40 customer discount from the vehicle’s $48,900 sticker price. The cost of the vehicle is included in the water treatment plant capital equipment planfor fiscal year 2025.
In a separate transaction, the line department will trade in an existing truck on a new vehicle, and transfer another truck to the Recreation & Public Grounds Department, then buy two new trucks to bring its fleet up to date.
Line Department Supervisor Adam Dickinson explained, in his council memorandum, the move restores the department to its normal vehicle replacement schedule, which was disrupted by a temporary shortage of new trucks during the Covid pandemic.
The line department had approval to buy one new truck in both fiscal years 2023 and 2024, but none was purchased. The council-approved fiscal year 2025 budget allocated funds for a truck for the department. The measure enacted by council limits the cost of each truck to $70,000 or less.
Council also ratified a resolution from Street Department Supervisor Brandon Bahrenfuss to spend $413,318 for a new Elgin RegenX street sweeper. It will replace the city’s Crosswind sweeper, which entered service in 2011. The present street sweeper has become increasingly expensive to maintain and, at 14 years old, is two to four years beyond the expected life for such machinery, Bahrenfuss explained. Elgin, the manufacturer, has been making street sweepers in Elgin, Illinois, near Chicago, for over 100 years.
View this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.
Last modified: January 21, 2025