The Auburn City Council on Oct. 7 approved a task order with Jacobs Engineering Group for $701,800 to proceed with Phase 2 engineering of the Northside Water Pollution Control Facility pump station and flow equalization project.

City staff described Phase 1 as a conceptual sizing and siting study completed in 2024; Phase 2 will deliver the more detailed engineering and design. "Phase 1 was essentially a conceptual design... Phase 1 of that was completed mid to late 2024. This is the actual more detailed design of the project," said Matt Dunn, a city water resources representative.

Staff and consultants told the Council the project centers on a large flow‑equalization storage tank intended to capture wet‑weather inflow and infiltration during storms to prevent overflows and avoid more costly pipe upsizing. "The tank we're looking at is a 3,000,000 gallon per day tank," Dunn said. Officials explained the stored flow would be released back into the facility and pumped to the Morgan plant for treatment once storm flows subside.

Several council members asked for more visibility into the facilities and budgets. One council member said they had not toured the treatment plants and asked staff to arrange site visits. Staff noted that the $701,800 task order is part of a larger capital program; one council member said the full Northside flow equalizer/lift system appears as a roughly $34 million line in the capital plan, and that the $701,800 amount is bundled within that larger effort.

After discussion the Council approved the Jacobs Engineering task order by voice vote. Council members praised the Water Resource Management staff for seeking cost‑effective solutions that reduce peak‑flow impacts and defer larger infrastructure upgrades.

The Council did not amend the scope; staff will proceed with final design under the Jacobs task order and return with further updates as design and construction planning proceeds.