At Wednesday’s meeting, the Bradford City Water Authority heard about some work that needs to be done at two of its three dams.

In October, Bankson Engineers completed annual inspections of all three authority dams, and submitted reports. Gilbert Reservoir 2 report indicates everything is satisfactory.

There is some work to be done at Marilla and Heffner.

“Marilla Reservoir 3 report indicates logs and debris need to be removed from the spillway, also any damaged welded-wire fabric on the gabion-lined channel, upstream and downstream from the steel grate bridge, should be repaired/replaced,” Executive Director Steve Disney told the board. “Sidewall seep is apparent at the masonry wall interface between the old and new spillway transition; this has been observed in previous years and is considered unchanged but will continue to be monitored. It was also noted that steel grating covering the control cable concrete troughs need to be reattached.”

At Heffner Dam 5, “a few wet areas were observed near the southeast abutment and downstream toe but are most likely the result of recent precipitation but should be monitored,” Disney explained. “In addition, the 8-foot diameter outlet pipe was inspected internally and generally found to be in good condition with no serious deficiencies. Minor concrete spalling was detected at several distinct points along the top crown of the pipe. The steel reinforcing which is visible in these areas may have been placed too close to the inside wall of the pipe. The spalled areas will be cleaned and repaired to prevent further deterioration.”

In other business, Disney said delinquencies for water bills rose slightly in December.

“Overall, water delinquency rates increased slightly during the month of December primarily due to residential delinquencies rising and large delinquencies regarding Moosewatch Development owned by Jim Andrews,” he said. Andrews owns 116 Congress St.

According to the authority, delinquencies on the property are $7,959.11 for water, $10,987.87 for sewer, and $1,579.01 for stormwater, for a total of $20,525.99.

On behalf of the City of Bradford, administrator Eric Taylor explained later Wednesday, “The property was posted in late 2023 as ‘do not rent or occupy.’ This was posted due to the lack of the property owner paying his registration fees with DPMI. The property is also not being maintained to meet code requirements, and there is a large amount owed in utility bills (water/sewer/storm and garbage).”

In other business, Disney gave an update on the lead abatement project from last year.

“Final milling and paving restoration on South Avenue has been pushed to the spring of 2024,” he said. “Complete curb-to-curb milling and paving of East Main Street between East Avenue and Welch Avenue has also been pushed to 2024 due to weather constraints.”

In an update regarding water meters, Disney said the authority continues working with Johnson Controls regarding the process of evaluating various elements and components to upgrade its metering system. Johnson Controls is in Bradford this week to conduct a survey in anticipation of testing existing meters 3 inches in size and larger. They are also analyzing the authority’s customer billing data and records.

Authority members heard a watershed report from Ken Kane of Generations Forestry regarding timber management.

Ram Forest has completed the Maple Flats timber harvest, and site cleanup will be in the spring. The ash salvage off Interstate Parkway is approximately 65% complete. An area of blowdowns due to high winds continues to be harvested out of Compartment 3; two different markets are being used for the sale of the timber from these areas. Due to the poor weather conditions all watershed roads are locked and closed to all traffic; however, snowmobile access is open to authorized areas.

Disney also updated the board on water treatment plant improvements.

“A capital improvement proposal along with cost estimates is being prepared by Bankson Engineers for improvements to the water treatment plant,” he said. “Bankson Engineers are planning a meeting with the executive director and authority staff the first week of February to review draft proposals.”

Regarding the Gates Hollow Bridge water line replacement, the authority approved a resolution to request 75% reimbursement of the actual costs, less betterments, of adjusting existing water authority assets located in the PennDOT right-of-way to allow for the bridge over Gates Hollow creek to be replaced. The authority’s 24-inch transmission main needs to be relocated at the bridge site.