The City of Ripon’s Well 19 Pump Station Project recently called for replacing an existing water valve, adjusting for the existing utility conflicts, upgrading the building doors while decreasing the overall seize of the wellsite.

All that amounted to a change order of minus-$11,850 to the Water Enterprise Capital Fund.

According to the staff report by Public Works Director James Pease at the May 10 Ripon City Council meeting, this recent change order – project was awarded last September to Soracco, Inc. for $1.7 million – reduced the overall size of the wellsite in “an effort to eliminate unnecessary improvements that will not be required until future park improvements in this area are constructed,” he said.

Well 19 Pump Station is located near the Mistlin Sports Park.

Pease broke down some of the total change order numbers, pointing out the following:

• The reduced footprint of the well site will eliminate the quantity of fencing, sidewalk, asphalt, and gravel to be installed. Couple that with the installation of a cub underneath the proposed site fencing for a contract change of minus-$49,326.
• The upgrade to specified steel doors with chemical resistant fiberglass doors for the chlorination / electrical control building, adding $8,915 to the work.

During the pipeline installation near River Road – specifically, where the new well ties into the City’s distribution system – Pease indicated that the existing utilities were located to be in conflict with the planned alignment. It’s here that a faulty water valve was discovered.

“The contractor was directed by staff to proceed and perform the additional work necessary to account for the unforeseen utilities and replace the faulty valve,” he said.

The labor time and material purchases necessary to perform the extra work bumped up the change order to $28,560.

Once completed, Well 19 will be incorporated into the City’s potable water system.