Goshen board approves geotechnical testing at Hilltop booster station

Mark Shepard, superintendent of water and sewer, told the board the city needs geotechnical boring and a possible test wall at the Hilltop booster station to evaluate soil and groundwater conditions before moving forward with a larger project.

Shepard said the work is intended to reduce unknowns at the site and help the city avoid surprises during construction. "We have very high water up there. Matter of fact, we've got two test walls there now. They're about 9 ft deep. They're completely full water. So, if we ever empty that tank, it might actually float," Shepard said, describing why the site's groundwater conditions require careful study. Staff presented a combined cost for both options of roughly $21,000.

The board voted unanimously to approve contracting Roberts Environmental (as presented) for the subsurface investigation; the motion called for evaluation of site geology and groundwater conditions to guide next steps for a Hilltop plant upgrade.

Why it matters: The findings will affect design decisions, risk mitigation, and cost estimates for the Hilltop booster station project. High groundwater can change foundation, tank and pipeline design and can increase construction complexity and cost.

Next steps: The contracted geotechnical work is to be carried out and staff will report results back to the board for engineering and construction planning.