The City Council Monday took two actions aimed at making long-term improvements to the city’s water system.

The council hired an engineering firm to conduct a study of the city’s water mains, which would guide future improvements to the system; and hired a company to clean the filters in one of the city’s two water treatment plants.The firm of Crawford, Murphy and Tilly was hired to conduct a “hydraulic model and waterman replacement project.”

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In a report to the council, Kevin Newton, the city’s public works operations manager, wrote: “The city’s water distribution system consists of ductile iron, cast iron, asbestos cement and PVC watermains. The network of watermains “ranges in age from new construction to over 100 years old and is vulnerable to leaks and waterman breaks,” Newton wrote.

The engineering firm will provide a hydraulic model of the city’s water distribution system, which Newton wrote, will enable the city to work “based more from a reactive approach vs. a proactive one” when upgrading the watermains.

City officials plan to use federal COVID relief funds and money accumulated in the city budget “appropriately,” Newton wrote, adding that the city “does not have the ability to make decisions based on a cost-benefit analysis.”

The engineering firm will be paid $50,500 to conduct the study, which council members said was lower than they’d expected.

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The city will pay a firm called Harn R/O to clean the trains at the south water treatment plant at Hollis and Garfield streets.

Newton told the council that cleaning the trains could add years to their life. Replacing all the trains would cost half a million dollars, he said.

Harn R/0 will be paid $30,424 for the work.