City Council will vote on a resolution at their next business meeting to amend the 26/27 budget after an emergency purchase and cleaning of the O-AT-KA force main which was restricted with dairy waste. The cost of the emergency project is $395, 933.66.
The City of Batavia had to contract with a sewer cleaning company under an emergency purchase to clean the force main and install access points for future cleaning events. The City also had to rent and provide fuel for a fuel bypass pump as well as purchase new check valves to complete the cleaning project.
The issue was discovered in March of 2026.
According to a Memorandum, Baily Groth, Superintendent of Water and Wastewater for the City of Batavia, says the City discovered a high-water level in the wet well. The City conducted a draw down test, pressure testing and used a camera in the force main. Afterwards, the City concluded the force main needed cleaning, but due to the length and the complexity of the force main, the City was unable to clean it and contacted a sewer cleaning company to clean the force main an emergency purchase.
A wet well is an underground pit that collects sewage from the incoming sewer and pumps it to a gravity manhole where it is transported to the treatment plant.
In a May 2026 Memorandum from then Director of Public Works Tom Phelps, failure to take immediate action could result in a complete pump station failure, interruption of wastewater operations and environmental and regulatory consequences.
In May, Groth stated the restriction inside the force main was putting unnecessary stress on the city’s lift station pumps, requiring them to run continuously to keep up with the flow demand. As a result, one of the lift station pumps overheated and locked up and the city had to utilize a bypass pump within the lift station
The cleaning project consisted of pigging the force main as well as installing new access points to allow for regular maintenance moving forward. New check valves were also installed inside the lift station, replacing old, deteriorated valves increasing pump efficiency.
According to a September 21st 2026 Memorandum from Groth, The City of Batavia negotiated payment from O-AT-KA to cover the work and issued bills in the amount of $395, 933.66.
Groth reports that since project completion, there has been an increase in capacity of the force main and less strain on the city’s lift station pumps.