Litchfield Hires Veolia to Run Water Treatment Plant Under Three-Year Deal

Litchfield City Council Meeting | June 4, 2026

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, June 4, 2026, approved a three-year professional services agreement with Veolia Water North America-Central, LLC, to operate and maintain the city’s water treatment plant, expanding the company’s role after it had been awarded the contract at the council’s May 21 meeting.

Article Summary: The council unanimously approved the agreement, under which Veolia will operate and maintain the water treatment facility for a total of $1,669,597 in the first year, rising over a three-year term to a combined total of roughly $5.21 million, paid from water enterprise funds.

Veolia Water Plant Contract Key Points:

• The three-year agreement begins July 1, 2026, with two optional five-year extensions; total fees are $1,669,597 (2026), $1,735,592 (2027) and $1,804,200 (2028).
• Each annual fee includes a $100,000 maintenance and repair limit; the agreement is paid from water enterprise funds.
• Veolia already operates the city’s wastewater plant and will now run both facilities.
• The company will staff the plant with a plant manager, assistant plant manager and five operations and maintenance technicians.

The agreement covers operation and maintenance of the water treatment plant, which is designed to treat 4 million gallons per day and currently averages about 2.7 million gallons of raw water daily, according to the packet. Veolia will also operate the city’s pump stations and two water storage tanks — a 500,000-gallon elevated tank and a 1.5-million-gallon standpipe.

Under the compensation terms, Veolia’s annual fee is $1,569,597 in the first year, plus a $100,000 maintenance and repair limit, for a total of $1,669,597. That total rises to $1,735,592 in the second year and $1,804,200 in the third, for a combined three-year total of about $5.21 million. The packet notes that any maintenance and repair expenditures below the $100,000 limit are to be rebated to the city.

Vazquez told the council the city had met with staff and Veolia and that she anticipated “a very smooth transition.” She noted that Veolia currently runs the city’s wastewater plant while the city maintains its own infrastructure, and that the new agreement extends a similar arrangement to the water treatment plant. Fleming noted a Veolia representative attended the meeting.

The arrangement reflects a broader contracting structure detailed in the agreement, which runs for an initial three-year term beginning July 1, 2026 — the defined “Commencement Date” — and may be extended for two additional five-year terms. The motion was made by Garcia and passed unanimously among the members present.