Garden City spending $190K to evaluate water utilities

A month after a 330,000-gallons of raw sewage spill in Garden City, the city's council unanimously approved a resolution for a water and sewer master plan proposal.

The resolution authorized the city to enter an into an agreement with Hussey Gay Bell, consulting engineers, for professional engineering services in connection with developing a water master plan, for a fee of $164,520.00 and a utility rate study and proposal for the city for a fee of $25,000.

In early April, a pump broke at the wastewater plant due to the heavy rain, causing the major spill. Interim City Manager and Clerk of Council Rhonda Ferrell-Bowles said the recent resolution had nothing to do with the spill and was more of a housekeeping item.

According to Bowles, the city hasn't had a masterplan for water and sewer in almost a decade, during which the population has grown from nearly 9,000 to 10,500. The plan will also include monitoring systems for the city to look at how and where they get the water and will allow for better planning for long range projects. “We're growing on this side of the city and all, and we just need to get an update,” Bowles said. “It's also helpful for construction projects to see what we need.”