The City of Riviera Beach could hire additional consultants to assist in managing its special service district that serves the city and some surrounding areas.

The New Port Richey-based U.S. Water Service Corporation will receive $1.2 million to provide various services for six months. According to city officials, the utility is suffering from staff shortages in its departments and various maintenance issues.

The Special Utility District Board, made up of members of the Riviera Beach City Council, fired its utilities director in July, and its deputy director, Steven Doyle, also left the department.

Her departure comes after WPTV discovered that the city waited about seven months before informing the public about the positive E. coli test in the city’s drinking water in June 2023.

Our news team has also covered the utility’s problems extensively over the past eight months.

US WATER

The consultant will provide three employees for six months, three employees for six weeks, 2,000 hours of maintenance support and administrative resources.

US Water will provide a sales manager, a maintenance manager and a water quality improvement specialist for a period of six months.

Depending on the scope of work, the Distribution Manager oversees the daily operations of the water distribution system to ensure a reliable and compliant water supply. The Maintenance Manager handles the significant backlog of maintenance work for the water treatment and distribution systems. The Water Quality Improvement Specialist seeks to improve both the disinfection process and the aesthetic properties of the water, including color and clarity, by providing revised chemical dosages and protocols.

US Water will also provide two manager positions and an equipment commissioning specialist for six weeks. As part of the scope of work, the equipment commissioning specialist will attempt to commission previously installed equipment to reduce calcium levels in the water and maintain proper pH when it is not in use.

“In summary, the addition of these additional positions to the Riviera Beach Water Utility is a strategic step to address the systemic issues we identified in our assessment,” the document states. “By filling these critical positions with qualified professionals, we will enhance our ability to effectively manage and improve the water distribution and treatment systems.”

The city also hired another consultant to evaluate the water utility.

NEW WATER TREATMENT PLANT?

At Thursday night’s meeting, engineers predicted that the bulk of the new water treatment plant will be completed by the end of 2027. Officials have not yet received official cost estimates for the plant because design work is not yet complete, but they expect groundbreaking to occur in mid-2025.

Authorities proposed a new water treatment plant as a solution to ongoing problems with the city’s water system. The current water plant was originally built in 1958 to serve about 13,000 people.

Council members had previously stated that the plant’s lifespan had exceeded its limit by about 25 years and that U.S. Census Bureau data shows the city has a population of about 39,000.

Nigel Grace, a consultant hired by the city of Riviera Beach, said the plant will become obsolete once new regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) take effect. The FDA’s website says those laws take effect in 2029. He also presented alternative plans, such as improving the current plant, which dates back to 1958.

Construction was scheduled to begin in 2021. The cost was originally estimated at $150 million, but was increased to $300 million due to delays, according to WPTV.

WARNING: Fees may rise to finance new water treatment plant in Riviera Beach

The city has not yet completed the design process due to various delays, including the director’s firing in June and the City Council’s refusal to decide on a design option in April 2024.

A consultant hired by the city said the design process is in various stages but is about 40 to 60 percent complete. Back in April, consultants and engineers said the process would be 90 percent complete by August 19.

Finance Director Randy Sherman had stated at previous meetings that the city did not have the borrowing capacity to build the power plant and would therefore likely have to increase rates for customers.

Grace also presented a third option that would force the city to purchase water from another utility and shut down the current water treatment plant. He said that would likely cost more money and there would be no control.

City Manager Jonathan Evans said many of the city’s fountains were also out of service and needed more than $4 million worth of repairs that had been approved at a previous meeting.

WPTV’s Ethan Stein found that the city has a limescale problem that prevents water meters from working properly and results in monthly bills of over $1,000.

WATCH: Riviera Beach residents say high water bills are ‘inconclusive’

At Thursday’s meeting, Evans said the board will receive a monthly update on the water plant construction.

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