STPUD water meter project costing more than expected

By Kathryn Reed

Cost overruns for the South Tahoe Public Utility District water meter project are approaching a half million dollars.

Campbell Construction Company as of June 16 had put in 165 of the 1,261 meters in the Lake Tahoe Basin portion of El Dorado County that it has been contracted to install.

“During the course of meter installations they have encountered changed conditions including deeper excavations, the need for additional fittings and the occurrence of groundwater,” according to the report principal engineer John Thiel prepared for the STPUD board.

The board on Thursday approved a change order for Campbell not to exceed $452,000. It’s possible a U.S. Forest Service grant will cover that expense. Cost overruns are not covered in the original that is paying for the meter project.

Paul Sciuto, the district’s assistant general manager, believes the firm will meet the Oct. 15 deadline to install the meters. He also told the board on June 17 he was not surprised by the cost overrun based on how fast the plans and specifications were put in place. But Sciuto also does not foresee another bill like this coming before the board.

Within the city, Tiechert Construction has finished the work in the Al Tahoe area. They are now on Gardner Mountain. As of Wednesday, the Sacramento company had finished 545 of the 1,915 meters it will install this summer.