A detailed assessment of Meridian’s 67 wastewater pump stations is moving forward after the City Council signed off on the project in its meeting Tuesday. Pump stations are installed at key areas along the city’s network of sewer pipes to push wastewater toward the city’s two wastewater treatment plants, and an assessment of the stations is a required component of the federal consent decree. Jason Gault, of Kimley Horn, an engineering firm contracted with the city to manage projects involving the city’s wastewater infrastructure, told the council in a recent work session that the assessment will be far more in depth than anything the city has previously done.
Physical inspections at each of the pump stations will be conducted, he said, and ideal flow rates — how much water moves through the station and how fast — will be calculated and compared to how the stations are currently performing. The assessment, which will cost the city $456,000, will also include needed repairs and upgrades for the pump stations, as well as a prioritized list to help the city know what projects it should tackle first, Gault said. Councilman Dwayne Davis said he was under the impression the city already has someone tasked with monitoring and maintaining pump stations.
Why, he asked, should the city pay Kimley Horn to do work it is already paying someone else to do. While the city does indeed have someone responsible for maintaining the wastewater pump stations, they are not equipped to t.