Douglas Water Commission Faces Plant Valve Failures, Manual Operations at Treatment Facility

DOUGLAS — December 9, 2025 — Douglas Water Commission meets amid treatment plant failures and procurement frustrations. The commission, chaired by Kyle Sullivan, convened December 9 and heard that a snapped decanter coupling, two failed tank valves, and a stuck sludge valve have forced staff to manually operate the wastewater treatment plant, cycling a sluice gate every three hours until a replacement valve arrives. A candidate for assistant chief operator on the sewer side took a position in Webster at a salary the operator said exceeded what Douglas pays its chief operator. The commission reviewed three quotes for a second utility service truck — procurement law requires the lowest bid — with members noting municipal pricing advantages have largely disappeared, and that service body equipment adds roughly $18,000 to the base vehicle cost. Members spent significant time detailing how lowest-bidder law cost Douglas more on a near-$4 million infrastructure contract, with the awarded contractor completing roughly 100 linear feet of pipe per day against a preferred contractor's 400, generating four times the engineering and police-detail costs; the operator said he is working with state representatives to seek reform allowing procurement officials to choose among the lowest three bidders.