By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
Reporter@sbnewspaper.com
“That was our worst nightmare,” said San Benito City Commissioner Joe D. González after listening to the preliminary findings of the city’s engineering firm, showing the City of San Benito’s Water Treatment Plant No. 1 is not in compliance with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
On Dec. 16, at a regularly scheduled meeting of the city commission, the city’s engineering firm Lou Portillo and Associates PLLC reported recent findings. Throughout the firm’s study of Plant No. 1 — San Benito’s only source for water at this time, since the $17 million Water Treatment Plant No. 2 has been deemed inoperable and the City has entered litigation with the plant’s manufacturers — Lou Portillo said, “It became apparent we only have one raw water pump right now.”
Victor Gutierrez of Coym, Rehmet & Gutierrez Engineering LP — the civil engineering firm working with Lou Portillo in the evaluation of Plant No. 1 — also spoke at the aforementioned meeting, saying, “There are seven filters in the plant. Three are not operating; (they) are plugged up and not in use. The other four are … not functioning properly.”
Gutierrez went on to say, “Of (Plant No. 1’s) five raw water pumps, four are out. The one working can meet winter and summer needs…(However) if anyone from TCEQ shows up, you are not in compliance.”
The raw water pumps are reportedly responsible for transferring water from the Resaca to Plant No. 1. Portillo said, “If the (last) raw water pump is out, we’re not making water.”
“We’re getting by,” Portillo said of the city’s continued reliance upon its only source of water, because the overall demand for water is typically lower during winter months. Comparatively, he said “if demands were higher, as they are in the summer” such might not be the case.
Furthermore, said Portillo, “We know we have to do something about the (plant’s) motor control center. We know it. It sees rain. It sees mud. We know we have to do something about it.” The motor control center is the main electrical panel for the plant and is reportedly not up to TCEQ standards at this time.
According to Gutierrez, the costs to bring Plant No. 1 up to code will be nearly $350,000 — before factoring in labor. “In materials, piping, and miscellaneous (costs) alone,” he said they have budgeted to $342,000. “About $105,000 has already been spent,” said Gutierrez. “This doesn’t include labor or construction costs.”
Gutierrez and Portillo’s assessment is also only regarding phase one in a process that will at least take two phases to complete. According to the engineers, one of the pumps needed in phase two can only be purchased from one vendor in the entire country and will reportedly take up to 14 weeks to receive after it has been ordered.
These findings, according to Portillo, have caused a previously ordered assessment of Plant No. 1 be put on hold. “I have to put my assessment on hold,” said Portillo, “because we didn’t have a clue three pumps were going to go out and we were going to have pluggage … on filters. We’re in a situation where we have (only) one pump.”
The official report should be finished by late January, said Portillo. “We’re going to be wrapping up the report by the third week in January, the actual assessment. The other stuff… we probably need to study.” By “stuff,” the engineer was making reference to the fact his firm has yet to study the main electrical part of the plant.
Potential electrical repairs have not been analyzed or budgeted, and overall costs and expenditures for bringing Plant No. 1 up to code remain unknown at this time yet the city commission voted in favor of pre-approving City Manager Manuel Lara to green light any expense deemed necessary by the engineers, without bringing the issue back to the commission first. This, in order to keep Plant No. 1 operating.
Lara explained to the commission, “We would need authorization to make purchases from unrestricted funds,” which as of Dec. 16, had a balance of over $4 million.
Gutierrez said it is imperative to have Lara’s instant approval to order these supplies because “when we advertise for bids (for labor), that takes two to three weeks… but at least the equipment will (already) be here.”
Because the state of Plant No. 1 is in such disrepair, officials have arrangements so that San Benito can receive Harlingen water if its water source completely quits functioning. In case of catastrophe, Gutierrez said, “you could shut the plant down, open a valve, and you’ve got water…” that would come directly from Harlingen.
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The noncompliance of the city’s water plant issue will be the least of the city’s problems,once the TCEQ finds the city mixing sewage(gray water) with rain water runoff.This is happening at the corner of Powers and Austin streets,,adjacent to Landrum Elementary School,yeah where the little kids walk thru it,It has been reported,but appears beyond the skills of the water department to fix,lets let the TCEQ look into it, along with the water plant issues.
Joe D. Gonzalez and JD Penny must go! All they have done is three years is spend our hard earn money. Only in the city of San Benito do we spend more that we can. …. look around… we are the only city with all these problems in the RGV.
Voters need to come out and vote SMART!!
Aren’t these three commissioners, JD Penny, JD Gonzalez, and Villafranco, the same commissioners who were vehemently opposed to Mayor Celeste Sanchez proposal to videotape the commissioner’s meeting and make them available to the general public or taxpayers who could not attend the meetings?
Now it makes perfect sense! Keep the public uninformed until the nightmare happens, the lawsuits start flying, and then plead the fifth but re-elect me.
Yes, they are the very same commissioners. When the citizens vote them out in May, then the commission can revisit that issue. Only problem is, who are the candidates to replace them? Candidates who wish to run for the May election should announce VERY soon to get voters familiar with their name and start picking up momentum.
I have never understood why the city commissioners approved the additional expense ($30,000+) of an Executive Assistant for the City Manager when he already had two assistant city managers ($60,000+ for each). I interpreted the approval as just another total $150,000+ for the taxpayers to pay for somebody to run interference for City Hall against those seeking answers to questions from the City Commissioners, City Secretary, or City Manager.
Also, Public Affairs Coordinator Martha McClain is just an OVERPAID ($50,000+ per year) glorified secretary. “The coordination of the XMAS parade was the worst I have ever witnessed” (quote from a visiting relative from up North). My question to the City Commission is “Why?” and “Por Que?” do you continue to support such a flagrant and outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars. Any recent college graduate could do the same job for half the salary.
The “Fleecing of the Taxpayer” by the City Commission needs to STOP. We need to elect city commissioners who are willing to make the tough decisions and think about the TAXPAYERS FIRST.
Mayor Celeste Sanchez needs commissioners to support her in delivering her vision for the citizens of San Benito. The current majority voting bloc of JD Gonzalez, JD Penny, and Villafranco are hell-bent on constantly blocking and opposing her VISION.
Enough is Enough…….Time to Clean House beginning with the City Commissioners who have shown their allegiance to those who have gotten us to where we are; deep in DEBT and LAWSUITS, and a $17 million water treatment plant collecting dust!.
PS…. quoted salary figures are from a very reliable source, they are not made up….
Very well said and accurate to a tee.
City Commissioner Joe D. González ……. THIS was or is the taxpayers nightmare when you, Commissioner JD Gonzalez, nominated Cruz-Hogan to be the city’s city engineering firm. You were supported, as usual, by Commissioners JD Penny and Rene Villafranco along with former Mayor Joe Hernandez.
The reason this is a nightmare for you is because this is an election year and YOU and JD Penny are up for re-election hoping the taxpayers forget who you really represent. If the TCEQ fines the city for non-compliance, it should not be the taxpayers who have to pay the fine.
KisaB
Make sure you tell your friends and neighbors JD Gonzalez and JD penny MUST GO. Time to clean house!
Always figured water plant #2 was built to replace water plant #1,that must not have been in compliance,as a replacement.Why not turn water plant #1 into the new city of san benito museum,with fine eateries and a boardwalk overlooking the resaca,what a joke people,pull your heads out,before its too late,it may well be.