Huntingburg Water Treatment Plant Addresses Failing Filters

This week, Huntingburg’s Water Department welcomed John Wetzel to a discussion about some serious concerns surrounding the water treatment plant. Wetzel, a project engineer with Commonwealth Engineering, provided a thorough briefing of the issues stemming from some significant filter leaks at the plant. Two filters from the water plant upgrade began leaking a couple of years ago, and efforts to make repairs in-house have been unsuccessful. The department has been working with Commonwealth, an engineering consultant firm, to help facilitate a plan for troubleshooting the leak. 

Wetzel gave a brief history of the water treatment plant and some of the problems that have been encountered with the leaking filter cells. He reviewed a preliminary engineering report that detailed the firm’s investigation into potential sources for the leak as well as its progression over time. This included an in-depth explanation of the construction used for the filters’ housing and the various challenges in accessing the affected areas. He then presented potential methods for mitigating the issues as well as the advantages and disadvantages for each, including estimated remediation costs. 

It has not been possible to determine the exact location of the leaks, but evidence of previous repairs has been evident in the investigation. As this has been a longstanding issue, and will progress significantly over time, Commonwealth’s recommendation is to coat the filter cells. Repairs will require removing the false floor to access the workspace, regardless of what method is selected. The projected $1.2 million expense has not yet secured its funding source. 

The life expectancy on these materials is about 20 years, and they were placed into service in 2003. The board inquired whether it would be wise to go ahead and proactively make the same repairs to the other filter cells at the same time. Unfortunately, that is not possible since the demand for water filtration services is too high for that many filters to be out of service simultaneously. 

The board agreed to use the next month to investigate financing alternatives. In April, they will make a decision whether or not to authorize the design work to begin with Commonwealth. If approved in April, then the project could be sent out to bid in July. The suggested timeline could see a construction phase of 4-5 months, beginning in Fall of this year and concluding early in 2026. 

For more information on these and other updates, visit www.huntingburg-in.gov



 - By Drew Hasselbring