The Hi-Desert Water District is wrestling with a decision: to build the sewer system themselves over 5 years or hire a contractor to do it in two years, but for more money. Managing Editor Tami Roleff was with them last night as it was discussed…
The Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors heard three informational presentations at its meeting last night about the sewer project. The first presentation gave options for how the water district could contract the construction of the sewer plant. The District could hire a project designer and then solicit bids for a contractor to build the project. A variation of that option is to hire a design firm, solicit bids for the construction, and have the designers and contractors work together on building the plant. The third option was to hire one company that would design and build the project. Each option had its pros and cons, such as whether the district could consider the qualifications of the applicant company; how much risk and control over the design of the project the district had; how much input the contractor had into the design; whether the project cost could be locked in at the start or end of the project; and performance guarantees. The board was informed that the timeline from design to construction completion was about 2 ½ to 3 years, a surprise to some, who had expected the project to take two years to complete.
The main trunk of the sewer line will follow Yucca Creek through Yucca Valley, with a pumping station near the Park and Ride on Kickapoo and another one at Paxton and Balsa Avenue. Feeder pipes into the main trunk of the sewer will cross Highway 62 and Old Woman Springs Road in 12 locations; Hi-Desert Water District staff said installation of those highway crossings should not impact traffic. The colored areas on the map indicate different project areas for contractors to bid on.
Next, the board heard a presentation on treatment technologies. The sewer plant could use oxidation ditches or filters called membrane bioreactors to treat the water. Oxidation ditches are fairly common methods of treating sewage; membrane bioreactors are a fairly new—but rapidly expanding—technology. The two methods cost about the same, but have discernible differences in the size of the plant, the energy costs, and ability to handle peak flows.
And finally, the Board heard a review of the pros and cons of having the sewer pipeline built by contractors versus hiring more employees to build the pipelines in-house. Directors Sarann Graham, Dan Munsey, and Sheldon Hough were not convinced that saving a potential $15 million was worth a five-year disruption to town roads and neighborhoods. The water district still has to get easements for the sewer pipeline from many homeowners, which could significantly delay the start of the project, getting the assessment vote on the ballot, and potentially risk losing the ½ percent interest rate the district is pursuing.
Since all the presentations at last night’s meeting were informational, no action was taken on any of them.
