Some projects and some plants are much more important than others. You need to focus on these projects as early as possible. Here are two of our early warning type project reports.
ARIZONA
Sewer Bonds Would Target
Treatment Plant Odors
A proposed $150 million sewer system bond would be
split between serving thousands of new homes built in Pima County each year, and
fixing up aging sewer plants and lines that date back more than 80 years.
Various sewer bond projects on the county's May 18 ballot would: fix odors from
the 52-year-old Roger Road sewage plant; upgrade
the Mount Lemmon sewer system to serve more homes; expand
the Marana sewer plant's capacity by more than six times; and strengthen
several sewer lines built from 1916 to 1969.
The bond would also pay for improvements to the Ina Road sewer plant, now more than a quarter-century old, to enhance its ability to meet what county officials say are increasingly stiff U.S. environmental rules governing sewer plants.
Key projects in this bond proposal include:
OHIO
Delphos Wastewater Plant Estimate: $25 Million
After months of speculation, the city of Delphos has received an estimate of $25
million for the cost of a new wastewater treatment plant.
Following a presentation by Keith Radick of Floyd Browne Assoc. Inc., during Thursday’s special meeting, council made a motion for the engineering firm to continue with design plans for a plant utilizing membrane technology. The facility will be the largest in Ohio using membranes to treat wastewater.
According to Radick, membrane technology has been around for decades but is relatively new in wastewater plants. The exact estimate of the membrane plant is $25,055,000. Radick said the price tag is just an estimate, and noted that rising costs of building supplies such as steel could change the price.
The city is under orders from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to build a new plant. To stay in compliance with the Findings and Orders the city agreed to last year, final design plans must be submitted to the OEPA by June 30. The plant must be in operation by March 30, 2006. If the city fails to meet the requirements, more fines from the OEPA can be expected. Safety Service Director Greg Berquist said the case could also be given to the federal EPA and criminal charges could result.
According to the EPA, the city must build a plant with a peak capacity of 16 million gallons a day, which includes the use of a new 4-million-gallon equalization basin. The cost of the basin is not included in the $25 million cost. The large hydraulic capacity is needed because of the city’s combined sanitary and storm sewer system. The new plant will be able to handle double the amount of water and loadings it receives from local industries than the current plant. Radick said the membrane system offers the city the most flexibility in how it is operated and the amount of wastewater that is needed to run it. The membrane plant also takes less land than the orbal system and could easily be added on to.
The city has an option to purchase 15 acres of land just north of Pohlman Road and east of the city dump to build the new plant. Two environmental studies have been completed at the site and the city is waiting on results of a third before buying the land. Berquist said the land appears to be satisfactory.
There is about $340,000 in the city’s sewer improvement fund according to Auditor Tom Jettinghoff. That money can be used toward the new project. Jettinghoff expects an OWDA loan can be obtained for the next project at an interest rate of about 5 percent over 20 years.
In 2003, the city received a planning loan for the engineering for the new
facility. That $1.8 million loan has a 5.15 percent interest rate for five
years. Floyd Brown is being paid $2,097,000 for engineering the project. That
cost is not included in the $25 million estimate.
See the forest through the trees
We provide you with an organized system which makes sure you do not miss any of the big wastewater projects. We provide details on each existing plant, and provide the contacts at both the plants and their A/E firms.
Over 2,000 projects are being tracked in the online McIlvaine publication, U.S. Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities and People.
The multibillion dollar air and water consulting industry in the U.S. is concentrated in a few states with satellite offices providing the broader coverage. This concentration is clearly visible in the continually updated McIlvaine publication, Consultant Profiles and People .
We would be glad to demonstrate these systems to you through a combination online access plus a simultaneous phone conference. Just call Bob, Ross, or Denise at 847-784-0012.
Bob McIlvaine