Tuscaloosa City Council Pays $1.8 Million for Emergency Tropical Storm Claudette Repairs

The Tuscaloosa City Council authorized two emergency public works contracts Tuesday to pay roughly $1.8 million for repairs done to water and sewer infrastructure after Tropical Storm Claudette caused severe flooding in the area last month.

The first contract was awarded to Dominion Construction Company, Inc. for the Westervelt Raw Water and Sanitary Sewer Repair. The total contract was set at $1,128,143.80.

Get our free mobile app

The second, $675,465 contract was granted to John Plott Company, Inc. for the North River Raw Water Repair.

City Council President Kip Tyner said the measures approved Tuesday night merely pay for work that was done in the storm's immediate aftermath, when damage to intake lines threatened the water supply of tens of thousands of people south of the Black Warrior River and forced Mayor Walt Maddox to briefly issue a water conservation order.

"That price tag was a big blow for sure, but necessary," Tyner said after the council meeting. "But the work they did was It was incredible, they were out there within hours. We were very fortunate to have people like that identifying the leaks."

With temporary fixes in place and permanent repairs underway, Tyner said the risk of system failure has passed. In the city's Public Projects Committee Meeting earlier Tuesday afternoon, city leaders said final repairs to the lines and treatment plants should be finished within the next few weeks.

Stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread for more updates as they become available.