City officials have begun to prepare for the second phase of repairs to the water treatment plant in Bridgeport.

Once a bid is awarded, crews will begin replacing the system’s flocculators, large paddles that mix raw water with chemicals to purify it.

According to a press release from Bridgeport Community Relations Manager Amber Fogelman, as the flocculators mix the water, chemicals attach to the impurities in the water (floc), making those particles heavier and causing them to sink to the bottom of the tank. The cleansed water is then moved through the filtration system, and the impurities are removed from the bottom of the tank as sludge.

Following replacement of the flocculators, crews will replace other parts of the system including the chemical feed pumps and backwash pumps.

The first step, removing and replacing the filter media, was completed in late May and has had a positive impact on the turbidity levels in the Bridgeport water, significantly decreasing turbidity violations, Fogelman said.

These improvements will help the plant stay in compliance with federal and state mandated rules. The city received a Corrective Action Plan following a Compliance Performance Evaluation by TCEQ in October. The 54 items must be addressed by Aug. 30.

The $500,000 in improvements will be funded largely by a grant from the Texas Capital Fund Community Development Block program and a certificate of deposit and budgeted capital improvement funds.