Litchfield Hires Veolia to Operate Water Treatment Plant

Litchfield City Council Meeting | May 21, 2026

Article Summary: The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, May 21, 2026, voted to accept a proposal from Veolia Water North America – Central, LLC to operate and maintain the city’s water treatment facility, citing staffing strains exposed by a recent citywide boil order. The city will retain ownership of the plant and control of water rates.

Veolia Water Contract Key Points:

• The council approved the proposal 6-0, with Alderperson Sara Zumwalt abstaining and Alderperson Dwayne Gerl absent.
• Veolia already operates Litchfield’s wastewater (sewer) plant; the new proposal extends a similar contract to the water treatment plant.
• The company has agreed to hire the city’s existing water plant employees, provided they pass basic employment and physical requirements.
• A full contract is expected to come back to the council for approval at its next meeting.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, May 21, 2026, accepted a proposal from Veolia Water North America – Central, LLC to take over operations and maintenance of the city’s water treatment facility, a move officials tied directly to the staffing and reliability problems revealed by a citywide boil order. Alderperson Bob Garcia made the motion, seconded by Alderperson Robbin Huffman, and it passed 6-0 with Zumwalt abstaining.

Vazquez said the city followed the formal municipal letting process and issued a request for proposals. Of two submittals received, she said, Veolia’s was the only one fully compliant with the RFP guidelines; the other acknowledged it did not meet requirements and was offered as an alternative. She said the city’s public works team and its engineering firm helped shape the RFP, and that a contract could appear on the next meeting’s agenda if the proposal was accepted.

Officials repeatedly emphasized that the arrangement covers only operations and maintenance. Alderperson Bert Holloway asked Vazquez to confirm that the city would keep ownership of the plant and control of water rates; she said that was correct, and that Veolia would cover the manpower for the facility.

Staffing Was the Driving Factor

Garcia and Vazquez framed the decision around the difficulty of staffing a specialized plant. Vazquez said water treatment positions are hard to fill, that the city has had trouble keeping a required Class A operator, and that senior staff had been working substantial overtime to keep the plant running. Continuing to operate the plant in-house, she said, would likely require hiring a superintendent, an assistant superintendent and additional staff to provide redundancy and reduce burnout.

Vazquez and Garcia both stressed that retaining current employees was a priority for the council, noting Veolia agreed to hire existing staff who can pass basic employment and physical requirements. Alderperson Josh Hughes said he was particularly encouraged by a training program in the proposal that would give current employees a path to advance. Vazquez said two city operators are working toward their Class A operator’s licenses, with a third pursuing the credential as his schedule allows.

Several Veolia representatives attended the meeting. John Shaw, the company’s manager at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, introduced the team and said the company intends to place a dedicated supervisor at each plant so both have day-to-day leadership. Larry Cooper, identified as the company’s regional vice president for the Midwest region, told the council he has worked in the water and wastewater industry for about 24 years, including time on the municipal side, and said the company can draw on regional and national resources when a plant runs into an unfamiliar problem.

Officials connected the change to the city’s broader water troubles. Vazquez said the city has had a long, successful relationship with Veolia on the sewer side, and council members said the boil order underscored the need for additional expertise and redundancy. Fleming said the city never wants to repeat a systemwide boil order and that partnering with a large operator provides backup the city cannot easily maintain on its own.

In a related action later in the meeting, the council voted 6-0 — again with Zumwalt abstaining and Gerl absent — to reject all bids for water treatment chemicals, because chemical purchasing will be folded into the Veolia contract. Vazquez said the transition is expected to begin sometime this summer, after the city establishes and publishes a timeline.