David Allred, water operations staff, provided an overview of operational activities and planned work at the Oct. 13 meeting, including staffing, asset counts and several maintenance and upgrade projects.

Allred said the operations group comprises 25 certified water‑system positions and is responsible for roughly 46 active sites, about 375 miles of water mains, roughly 2,400 fire hydrants, some 8,600 mainline valves, 36 pressure‑reducing valve stations and more than 21,000 advanced electronic meters. “We operate and monitor the SCADA systems. SCADA is supervisory controls and data acquisition. That's our brains of our water system and a reclaimed system,” he said.

On capital maintenance, Allred said the utility has issued a notice to proceed for vertical pump replacements at a reuse booster station; manufacturer lead time is about 12 weeks and work is expected to start in January with completion targeted in 2026. He described two well repairs: Well C5 experienced an oil‑tube complication that required pulling equipment and camera inspection; staff discovered an area of buildup and are evaluating casing repairs. Well D9 had a broken coupling discovered roughly 100 feet above the pump; contractors used sonar jetting and other cleaning tools and staff are coordinating re‑equipment.

Allred said the utility must renew a federally required risk‑and‑resiliency assessment under the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) by December; staff will work with KUV Consultants on the assessment and an emergency‑management toolbox that is accessible to water staff. He also described ongoing SCADA and programmable logic controller (PLC) upgrades across multiple sites; standardizing panels and operator interfaces will improve troubleshooting and training.

On meters, Allred reported the utility plans to replace about 400 meters per month (roughly 4,500 meters per year) to address failures and aging battery‑powered electronic meters; last year’s warranty replacements covered roughly 2,000 meters. He said AMI and customer‑portal tools provide faster leak detection and more data for conservation.

Allred closed with outreach plans, including public tables and presentations at local events on Oct. 24, Oct. 27 and Oct. 30. The commission did not take formal action on operational items at the Oct. 13 meeting.