Update on city utility projects

Sometimes the good information comes from unexpected places.

Such was the case as the Utility Advisory Committee, ostensibly meeting to discuss the beginning stages of a rate study next year that may see rates rise again, who got information-only updates from city staff on issues ranging from capital improvement projects to turf removal at city parks and golf courses, to overall usage of various utilities to the almost-two-years-in-the-making Southern Nevada Water Authority study on doing something with Boulder City wastewater other than dumping it in the desert.

CIP STUFF

After some confusion about the committee having a quorum (solved when one member arrived late) and some tech issues with another member trying to use the Zoom app, which went on for the entire meeting, things kicked off with a presentation on capital projects by Bill Bruninga, who is a utilities engineer for the city.

“The main one for the electrical projects continues to be the substation 3 project,” Bruninga reported. “Last meeting we reported that the transformers were purchased and now for this meeting the next big piece of equipment for the substation is the breakers. So, those are in the procurement process. We’re developing the specs and we hope to have those purchased by November 1 of this year,” he continued noting that the entire project is being managed by the Colorado River Commission.

The transformers referred to were a significant item in the FY2026 budget as their cost came in multiple times what had been initially budgeted.

“Looking at the water projects, we continue to make progress on the copper service replacements around town and, of course, those are ongoing. Another big project is the the one and only 14-inch PVC water line that goes out to Eldorado Valley,” Bruninga said. “It has one pressure-reducing station, which is good, but it’s really not enough. There is still some tremendously high pressures in that line as it keeps going downhill. So, this project is adding two more pressure reduction valve stations to that pipeline. It’s a big project and later this month, we will have our initial design review showing all the concepts and initial schematics of exactly how we’re going to do this.”

TURF REMOVAL

This has been a contentious issue since it was first brought up more than a year ago. To review, the state Legislature passed AB356 in 2022, which mandated that “non-functional” turf could not be irrigated using Colorado River water starting on Jan. 1, 2027. The law does not cover private homes but does cover parks and golf courses owned by municipalities, as well as commercial property and common areas in housing developments controlled by a homeowners association.

In Boulder City that really comes down to the many public parks and two city-owned golf courses. Much of the cost for grassy parkways is being covered by SNWA using a rebate program.

Utility Director Joe Stubitz claimed that things were looking good for the most at-risk property, the municipal golf course.

“I think the expectation is that, you know, the golf course water budget will be met,” he told committee members. “We’ll have a year’s worth of data to assess that.”

The city initially put forth a plan to substantially scale back turf at the course as part of a larger project to replace the aging —and leaky —irrigation system. But homeowners around the course revolted and the city council caved. The original plan called for combining the two projects, which would have resulted in substantial savings. Instead, the irrigation project, along with a very scaled-back version of the turf removal plan, will happen this year and the city will use 2026 to assess how much water that actually saves. In order to, as Stubitz said, “meet the water budget,” additional turf may have to be removed later at greater cost.

The water budget for golf courses is actually separate from the state law on turf reduction and goes into effect sooner. Stubitz explained that at the end of 2026, water usage will be assessed and over-use charges levied. However, the current project combining less turf removal and the replacement of the irrigation system will not be completed until the end of that year.

“It’ll be assessed based on per-meter basis. If there’s been overages, and that’ll range from two to eight times depending on how much percentage overuse,” he said.

But, in Boulder City, the city owns the water utility. And the water utility collects the fines, which are determined by SNWA standards. In effect, because the city also owns the golf course, the assessed fines would be paid to itself.

Parks were also a sticking point with residents. This is related to the state-mandated turf reduction with the big change being that grass that goes all the way to a street or that exists in a parkway between a sidewalk and the street. This will no longer be able to be turf unless someone finds a way to water said turf without using river water.

“Wilbur Square Park is also scheduled for its turf removal project to start this November. Oasis Park Phase 1 was completed,” Stubitz reported.

WASTEWATER STUDY

This is the longest-standing of the issues brought to the committee. In 2018, SNWA had offered to construct a pipeline between Boulder City and Henderson that would allow Boulder City wastewater to be piped into the system in the Las Vegas Valley, which sees 90% of indoor wastewater recycled back into Lake Mead. However, members of the city council seated at that time, notably including then-mayor Kiernan McManus, expressed the opinion that such a pipeline would just encourage additional development in Boulder City and turned down the SNWA-paid-for plan.

As a result, still, in 2025, more than one million gallons of wastewater per day gets sent from Boulder City into evaporation ponds in the desert and is not recycled like all other water in the region.

The issue came back up in 2023 and the council agreed to a feasibility study by SNWA on several options for dealing with wastewater. Nearly two years later, that study is still not done.

“The Southern Nevada Water Authority is working on a feasibility study regarding our treated effluent (i.e., wastewater),” Stubitz told the committee. “They are working on a final report with a cost estimate to be provided to us. As soon as I get that. I’ll be able to present that to city council and then to the utility advisory committee.”

Asked for a timeline, Stubitz said that the technical part had been completed and he was waiting on the cost portion.