by Nicole Bradford
After an administrative order from the Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Pearland will accelerate plans for $3.5 million in upgrades at its Reflection Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The city’s original plan had been to complete the needed upgrades over several years, city staff said.
“However, the EPA has intervened — and made it very clear to us that their expectation is these works are carried out immediately,” assistant city manager Victor Brownless told council members on January 27.
Council members were informed that deferred maintenance and repairs through the years have eventually caught up to the approximately 20-year-old plant.
The reclamation facility has faced “significant challenges due to ongoing equipment malfunctions,” city documents state.
To prevent such occurrences in the future, the city has implemented an asset reliability team tasked with monitoring utility infrastructure and preventing deferred maintenance that could eventually cost more.
“What I would ask is if we have a legitimate need that’s maintenance driven that’s going to cost us down the road, that needs to be presented to us,” Mayor Kevin Cole said. “Ultimately, it’s up to council to say yes or no.”
