A condition assessment to inspect and test the infrastructure in New Ulm’s Water Treatment Plant (pictured here) was approved at Tuesday’s Public Utilities Commission meeting.

NEW ULM – With New Ulm’s Water Treatment plant at 30 years old, the time is coming for a needed facelift.

To start the process, a condition assessment for $59,400 from Short, Elliot, and Hendrickson (SEH) Inc. was approved by the Public Utility Commission at Tuesday’s meeting.

Utility Engineer Dan Pirsig said this project is similar to what they did with their wastewater plant last year.

“The plant was put in service in 1994,” he said. “It’s time to start doing some assessments. I’m looking to make sure everything is up to good working and operating order. This will be pretty much a complete assessment of the water supply system.”

Utilities Director Kris Manderfeld said the hope for this project is to establish a timeline for projects across a longer time period.

“With electric we did a 20-year study,” she said. “Wastewater we went to separating it between zero and five years, five and 10, etc. This would be the same thing.”

The design life of many components within the plant is 20 to 25 years. Pirsig said he wishes they could have done it earlier, but time constraints kept it on the bench until now.

“After the 25-year design life is when they say [parts are] going to start failing,” he said. “Lots of stuff makes it past that, but it’s always good to know exactly where you’re at.”

He said some pieces are more likely to show their age faster than others.

“Pumps, valves, mechanical stuff, and maybe some electricals which’ll be out of date or out of code,” Pirsig said.

To ensure they get everything out of the condition assessment, experts in several fields like HVAC, architecture, mechanical, electrical, and process engineering among others will look over respective areas top to bottom.

The SEH Inc. report states assessments and inspections should be finished by the end of November, with a final report completed by January 2025. The report will include deficiencies and items needing rehab, recommended projects, and the estimated scope and cost of each item and project.

Commissioner Shannon Hillesheim motioned to approve a condition assessment for $59,400 from Short, Elliot, and Hendrickson (SEH) Inc. Commissioner Mary Ellen Schanus seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved by the PUC.