The Thomasville Water and Sewer Board approved a new contractor fee, signed off on a long-term water tank maintenance deal, and weighed a new approach to a persistent algae problem in the city’s wastewater lagoons at its July 13 meeting.
The board unanimously approved a new $100 setup fee for hydrant meters used by outside contractors. Superintendent Wendy Long said the fee, charged each time a contractor’s hydrant meter is installed, will help offset the labor and administrative costs of setting up and removing the meters and creating the associated customer accounts. Mayor Sheldon Day said the utility fields frequent requests from contractors using hydrant meters, and the new fee should help the city recover more of its expenses.
The board also approved a maintenance agreement with American Tank Maintenance, beginning Oct. 1, covering all four of the city’s water storage tanks. The deal follows roughly $3 million in tank rehabilitation work funded largely through grants, and includes annual visual inspections plus interior washouts every three years — maintenance officials say should reduce long-term costs by catching problems before they require major repairs.
On the algae front, Long told the board that chemical treatments over the past several years, costing roughly $10,000, have not adequately controlled persistent algae growth in the city’s wastewater lagoons. She presented an alternative: an LG Sonic system, a solar-powered floating device that uses ultrasonic technology to control algae growth while also monitoring water conditions. Long recommended a six-month trial, with an initial setup cost of $13,546 and monthly payments of about $3,400 — payments that would apply toward the purchase price if the city decides to buy the system after the trial period.
Long also updated the board on a run of recent maintenance work: installing a new flush hydrant at The Rock, replacing a damaged washdown hose, continuing routine fire hydrant maintenance, locating water lines for Alabama Department of Transportation projects near Pine Hill, marking utility lines ahead of U.S. Highway 43 construction, repairing a six-inch water main leak at the intersection of Highway 5 North and White Oak Road, and fixing a leaking service line on Pine Circle.