Public Works: leak detector and repairs cut treated-water loss; wastewater infiltration remains a concern

Paul, speaking for Seaside Public Works, summarized the department’s FY26 accomplishments and gave the council a data-backed status report on water production, wastewater flows and capital work.

"The plant took in 610 million gallons of water. We pushed out 539 million gallons, which means we wasted in backwashing 72 million gallons," Paul said, presenting plant intake/production figures and the impact of system leaks on production. He told the council that a new leak-detection unit (a roughly $7,000 investment) and dedicated field work allowed crews to find and repair leaks that previously were difficult to locate. Paul said reduced leak loss and better plant operational tuning cut rinse cycles from four times a day to once, saving about 42,000 gallons per day.

On wastewater, Paul said the department continues to see very high infiltration and inflow (I&I) in winter months: December 2025 saw roughly 81.6 million gallons (an average of 2.6 million gallons per day) driven largely by groundwater infiltration, whereas September (lower-flow month) had just 32 million gallons processed. That disparity indicates substantial groundwater contribution during wet months and supports planned investments: a new sewer camera crawler, Marlo pump station design and an aeration basin shaft replacement project that has realized roughly 10% cost savings through competitive bundling.

Streets work highlighted by staff included striping improvements (new preheater machine), airport brush removal and new trucks. Paul urged the council that annual work planning for committees and alignment with the budget cycle would help prioritize projects that require capital funding.

The public works presentation drew praise from councilors for the practical benefit of the leak detector and the crews’ emergency responses earlier in the year.