Following a development prohibition placed on the city of Malibu in 2011 by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the city must build a centralized wastewater treatment system for the Malibu Civic Center by November 2015. The state argues that the Civic Center needs a centralized system because wastewater from the area is trickling down and polluting nearby ocean water.

Civic Center commercial property owners are being asked by the city to fund the design of a wastewater treatment system as part of implementing "Phase One" of the project. The city council established a Community Facilities District (CFD) in August, under which it hopes to levy a special tax on 15 commercial property owners who own approximately 77 acres of land in the Civic Center.

The city estimates it will collect $6.5 million in funds from the tax to pay for the system’s design. Each landowner gets one vote per acre owned and the special tax needs two-thirds approval to pass, meaning at least 52 approval votes must be cast.

The city has spent $2.54 million to date on the design of the wastewater treatment facility, and anticipates that an additional $4 million will be needed for an environmental impact report (EIR), construction documents and to obtain permits.

That funding has thus far been paid for by the city, but commercial property owners in the Civic Center are expected to pick up the expense at a cost of $12,500 per commercial acre to keep the city’s plan moving forward. Residential properties included in the vote will pay $2,500 per residential acre.

The City Council is expected to certify the CFD voting results at a Nov. 26 meeting. If the special tax passes, city staff will present the council with an ordinance lobbying for the tax at a Dec. 10 meeting.

Plans to expand the Gulf Breeze Wastewater Treatment Plant are moving forward.

Instead of using 45 acres, the city will use 12 1/2 acres and make landscaping improvements.

Gulf Breeze had bought land to build a new treatment plant, but city leaders say expanding the current site makes better financial sense.

Bids for the city of Linton's $4.6 million wastewater treatment system improvements were opened recently, though a decision remains on hold. Still, the mayor said he's happy with how bids came in lower than city officials had expected.

"We will not be able to award the contracts at this time, just because of the pending grants and State Revolving Fund money," said Mayor John Wilkes.

An expected State Revolving Fund Loan of about $3.5 million, coupled with a $500,000 Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) grant, was counted on to fund the majority of the project. However, with cost estimates running significantly lower than expected, the savings the city could face may be considerable.

The bids on the collection system improvements were:

• Inland Water Pollution Control, $534,942.70.
• Insituform, $578,425.90.
• Miller Pipeline, $527,897.02.

While Miller was the apparent low bidder on the base package, Utilities Superintendent Brent Slover noted the bid packages included several alternative options that could change which firm emerges as the lowest bid option.

On the wastewater treatment improvements, only two bidders submitted proposals.

Graves Plumbing Co. was the apparent low bidder at $2,345,678, while Mitchell & Stark bid $2,499,999 as their base package proposal.

Again, Slover noted those bids are only base bids, and could be altered considerably based upon which alternatives the city chooses to utilize regarding construction plans for the facility. Among possible changes are the relocation of digesters on the property.

No action was taken on the bids, however, as Triad Associates, Inc., the Indianapolis engineering firm advising the city on the refit, took the proposals under advisement.

Construction is expected to begin in January on a project to treat the wastewater from two Le Mars industries and prepare for future growth of the city.

The Le Mars City Council is considering a 10 percent increase in rates for all sewer users to pay for the new wastewater treatment facilities and improvements to the existing treatment.

The city's largest industries, Wells Enterprises and Dean Foods, have each projected an increase of more than 40 percent in wastewater treatment due to growth of their businesses.

The council is also considering changes in the charges for the industries. The changes would add the cost of construction of the new industrial wastewater treatment plant and operations and maintenance fees to the industries' sewer user bills.

The new industrial wastewater treatment facilities and related construction at the existing wastewater plant in Le Mars could cost between $17.4-$18.1 million, according to Kris Swanson of Bolton and Menk, Inc., of Ames. The work is to be divided into three contracts, Swanson said.

The new industrial treatment plant, changes at the existing treatment plant and equipment to make the change for the two industries will probably cost $13.5-$14.5 million, Swanson told the Le Mars City Council.

The second contract for the project is at the new industrial treatment site and will add a lagoon capable of storing 11-million gallons of biosolids or treated waste before it is applied to farm land.

"We're adding a second storage lagoon onto the existing 6-million gallon storage lagoon; doing some repairs to the existing storage lagoon; and setting both lagoons up for some decanting and better operation," Swanson said. The cost estimate for the second contract is $2.5-$2.9 million.

The third contract for wastewater improvements -- to span 6 miles -- is estimated to cost $1.4-$1.7 million dollars, he said.

This (part of the total project) is from near Dean Foods, to take the wastewater to the existing city wastewater facility and by pipeline to the new industrial treatment facility 2 miles west of Le Mars. The third contract would also involve purchasing equipment and construction to bring the treated wastewater back from the rural location to the current treatment facility in Le Mars. Then the wastewater would be blended with other treated wastewater and released into the Floyd River.

"The third part of the project is large enough that in the next 20-30 years, all of Le Mars wastewater could be pumped out to the new industrial wastewater treatment location," Swanson explained.

In March of last year, the council received preliminary cost estimates to expand wastewater treatment in Le Mars to meet growth needs. The costs estimated are roughly about 15 percent higher, Swanson said. The changes are due to some of the details Bolton and Menk had when the project reached final design as well as cost increases during the past 18 months, he said.

Councilman John Leonard asked for details about the new lagoon construction.

The lagoon will be lined with a specific type of clay, bentonite, Swanson said.

Bids for all the work are to be opened Dec. 13 and considered at the regular noon meeting of the city council Dec. 18.

Construction is to begin in January and end in December of next year.

Wastewater treatment and industrial plants would be asked to make costly upgrades to cut pollution while farmers would do so voluntarily under a long-awaited strategy released recently to reduce harmful nutrients in Iowa waterways and the Gulf of Mexico.

Gov. Terry Branstad's administration released the 200-page document laying out plans to tackle one of Iowa's most pressing environmental issues, after two years of study and private meetings. It comes in response to the U.S. EPA’s order in 2008 for 12 states along the Mississippi River to develop strategies to prevent nitrates and phosphorous from reaching the Gulf of Mexico.

Iowa is a leading contributor to the problem, which comes from runoff caused by fertilizers and manure used on farm fields and at wastewater and industrial plants.

For the first time, the 130 largest such plants would be required to take additional steps to remove phosphorous and nitrogen. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources would require those plants over time to remove those nutrients, which could cost taxpayers and businesses $1.5 billion over 20 years but reduce the amount of nitrogen discharged annually by more than 11,000 tons.

The state's 90,000 farmers, meanwhile, would be encouraged to reduce runoff through best land management practices and public and private conservation programs. The plans will start to be implemented across Iowa after a 45-day public comment period that ends Jan. 4.

The biggest impact of the plan appears to fall on the 102 largest city-owned wastewater treatment plants and 28 large private facilities such as slaughterhouses and grain processing plants that discharge the most nutrients into Iowa's waterways.

As they seek to renew their operating permits from the DNR in the coming years, the plants will be required to evaluate how many nutrients they discharge and find ways they could reduce them. The DNR will eventually require the plants to take steps such as installing new technology and changing their operations to achieve reductions.

Microscopic organisms that process waste at the Pratt Wastewater Treatment Plant will soon improve their efficiency when the digester at the plant switches from an anaerobic to an aerobic system.

The city was having difficulty getting rid of the sludge created in the current system. The usual method of disposal was to haul the product to area fields where it was land applied. However, disposal was a major problem for the city, said Pratt City Manager Dave Howard. "A lot of time we can't get out to the fields because of the weather," Howard said. "It was very inefficient."

Once the aerobic system is in place it will improve digestive efficiency and eliminate the sludge. Upgrading the facility had become a vital issue. The amount of sludge had pushed the plant to critical levels and they were close to violating their discharge permit.

During the wastewater treatment plant evaluation, it was determined that not only was an oxygen system needed but other changes needed to be made as well. One of the changes was new covers for the equalization basins to prevent algae growth. Other improvements include a new maintenance building to replace the old building that will be used to house the new belt press that will increase oxygen in the system. The system will also require an induced oxygen system pump to put pure oxygen into the waste system for more effective waste treatment.

The upgrades will provide a more efficient system that will help the city meet the wastewater treatment needs for years to come. It should also make the facility more economically efficient.

"We anticipate a substantial energy cost savings in plant operations," Howard said.

No specific date for project bids is set but bid requests should go out in the near future. If those bids come back and are financially feasible, the project will probably start in spring 2013.

The Corbin City Utilities Commission approved two change orders for a project to remove the old mercury filter at the Corbin City Utilities’ Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"Getting rid of the visible mercury will cost $80,000 more. The total project will run about $250,000, and will be paid for with CUC funds," General Manager Ron Herd said.

On July 31, Perdue Environmental Contracting Company, Inc. was the apparent low bidder for removing the mercury at the plant with a base bid of $58,201.45 and an alternate bid of $19,356.75.

At the time, the consultant prepared a bid tab with worst case and likely-to-occur costs, using the base bid and unit prices in the bid. The worst case scenario unit pricing was listed at $795,385.45, while the more likely scenario unit pricing was listed at $94,041.11. Also at the time, Herd said the final cost wouldn’t be known until all the mercury is taken out.

Bids for the 2013 Chemical Requirements were received until 2 p.m. on Nov. 1, then publicly opened and read aloud. Brenntag was the apparent low bidder in seven of the nine categories bid on.

Brenntag had the low bid on Liquid Chlorine at $0.194 per pound, Sulphur Dioxide at $0.530 per pound, Sodium Chlorite at $2.020 per pound, Fluorosilicic Acid at $0.309 per pound, Liquid Copper Sulfate at $16.200 per gallon, Tote Caustic Soda Liquid at $0.212 per pound, and Liquid Sodium Thiosulfate at$0.300 per pound.

Univar had the low bid in two categories — Potassium Permanganate at $2.950 per pound and Bulk Caustic Soda Liquid at $0.230 per pound.

Bids were also received by Cedarchem, C. I. Thornburg and Key Chemical, while GEO Specialty made no bids.

The city of Salisbury was awarded $2.1 million more in a case against Construction Dynamics Group, LLC. The group was responsible for the faulty wastewater treatment plant that cost $84 million to build, with $40 million for the construction coming from the city of Salisbury.

A jury verdict awarded the city $1,968,417.43. Also, Construction Dynamics paid Salisbury $162,225 for improper billing. The total amount Salisbury taxpayers got back is $2,130,642.43.

Mayor James Ireton said the total amount is up to $12.825 million now and added that while there was a loss, this was the best possible outcome for the city.

"We think that between that and the $7 million we have in the water and sewer fund, we're well on our way to telling the state of Maryland that we have a tried and true process that's going to work and the state of Maryland is working very closely with Brown and Caldwell and with the city so we know that what we're going to build out there works."

According to Ireton, the Maryland Department of the Environment will be working a lot more closely with the new construction team that will be upgrading the facility. This is estimated to cost between $55 million and $60 million.

A plan to connect Norton residents to a town sewer line and regionalize wastewater treatment with Mansfield and Foxborough could cost about $38 million.

The majority of residents are currently using individual Title 5 septic systems while a smaller group is hooked up to the municipal wastewater system. The majority of the municipal wastewater that’s collected in Norton is sent to the Mansfield Wastewater Treatment Facility, which is actually located in Norton. Some are connected to the Taunton Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Current town-owned wastewater capacity is about 296,900 gallons per day. Norton utilizes approximately 205,000 gallons per day. The problem lies within future flows and town growth. Current and proposed developments are factored into the capacity needs. The total projected wastewater need is 405,500 gallons per day. The recommended plan includes a projected wastewater capacity of 460,000 gallons per day.

The plant has been declared undersized, and a plan to expand it is in the works. In the meantime, Norton is once again trying to hammer out an agreement with Mansfield and Foxborough for a regional plan.

The total construction cost of the needs area sewer extensions is estimated at $30.4 million. Norton’s share of the expansion for the Mansfield Wastewater Treatment Facility is an additional $7.5 million.

The time frame of this project is still unknown as it is dependent on the Mansfield WWTP expansion and upgrade. Weston & Sampson say the plant could be finished around fiscal year 2017-18.

The plan will be finalized by Dec. 31 and a public hearing on the project will be held after Jan. 1, 2013.

With the town awarded a $2.5 million state MassWorks grant, upgrades at Ware’s aging wastewater treatment plant are expected to begin this winter and be completed late next year.

The state grant will pay more than half of the $4.5 million project.

An August special Town Meeting said yes to borrowing $1 million to pay a portion of the costs, and Kanzaki Specialty Papers – the largest employer in town and a heavy user of the municipal system – agreed to pay $1 million toward the project.

Engineering work at the Robbins Road facility is expected to begin as soon as the state signs off on needed contracts. Construction is expected to start next summer and be finished late next year or early 2014.

C.H. Nickerson & Company, a Torrington-based general contractor announced it has won a $5.5 million dollar bid for facility upgrades at the Lake Avenue Wastewater Pumping Station in Worcester.

C.H. Nickerson’s construction plans for the Lake Avenue Station call for the replacement of antiquated machinery including turbine pumps and motors with new, state-of-the-art equipment. The new pumps and motors installed by Nickerson will be equipped with variable speed and frequency controls, which will allow workers to better control the wastewater flow from the pump station to the treatment facility.

The project also includes the reconfiguring of the layout of the pipe system, which was originally installed in 1952. This new layout will allow the station to run more efficiently and will increase the span of time between necessary equipment maintenance and upgrades.

The upgrades also include the replacement of current ultrasonic flow meters with an electromagnetic version that will allow for more accurate measurement of water flows. Additionally, the project calls for upgrades to the facility’s electrical generator and HVAC system as well as a new architectural design plan for the replacement of the station’s roof and roof fans.

The Lake Avenue project is expected to be fully complete by the end of 2014. The station currently distributes wastewater to the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, which serves approximately 20,000 ratepayers in Worcester.

In November the Saline City Council approved a plan to maintain the reliability and safety of its wastewater treatment plant.

The city has been talking with its engineering consultants, Tetra Tech, for nearly a year about performing repairs on the aging facility. Much of the work involves replacing old equipment that has outlived its usefulness. The city set aside the normal bidding process because of its relationship with the firm. The city first used the company back in 1999.

Initially, the city will pay $272,300 to Tetra Tech to cover costs from the planning phase to securing the proper permits from the state.

"They have performed our last several rate studies and not only the design for the improvements and analysis of the improvements and some additional reevaluation," City Engineer Gary Roubal said.

The scope of the project involves three categories: immediate needs, needs that can be taken care of later and those areas which require a little improvement or study.

Immediate needs include managing residuals, or bio-solids. That involves operating the anaerobic digester, which takes sludge from the plant and renders it safe for disposal on land. The work includes replacing mixing equipment, valves, pumps and a boiler. The boiler heats the residuals producing a gas which is then used to power the digester.

The total cost for this initial proposal comes to $222,400. Construction costs are estimated at $1.1 million, bringing the cost for Phase 1 in at $1,322,400.

Future endeavors include replacing the equipment that deals with septage. Saline is one of two communities in the county which receives septage, not only as a public but also a revenue source. The equipment was installed 12 to 15 years ago and has also reached the end of its life.

Water and Wastewater Supervisor Bob Scull said the city earns about $250,000 from septage collections. The city is looking at a three-year payback for the cost of repairs and upgrades to the building, he said.

The second-tier needs include buildings which need to be constructed or demolished. This involves the building where the septage is collected. The septage building has incurred some settling, so another $11,500 will be required to measure the potential movement of the building.

Tetra Tech will perform all the services during the project under the provision of a "not-to-exceed" limitation and all work will get council's approval first.

The city may be able to obtain a loan from the state to cover 90 percent of the design cost for the WWTP. The grants, known as S2, are to help cities pay for planning and design costs to control water pollution. There is still about $10 million left in the state fund, but the city must apply by January. The city must develop a project plan to be part of the application.

Moorhead could be looking at millions of dollars to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant. An environmental group has effectively blocked the renewal of the plant's license with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Cleaned water flows into the Red River in North Moorhead from the city’s wastewater treatment plant. But it could according to a Twin Cities based environmental group there is too much phosphorus in the water coming out of this pipe.

Andrew Bradshaw/Moorhead Utilities Manager: "We were surprised not to see any kind of phosphorus limit. So we looked at the last 3 years and saw that the concentration average was 3.4 mg per liter and most facilities of this size in Minnesota have a limit of 1mg per liter."

The Moorhead treatment plant needs to be re-licensed every five years and because of the concerns by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy that renewal may be put on hold.

In addition to Minnesota regulation there's a 1909 border treaty with Canada that says no pollution can flow across the border that effects water quality.

Phosphorus has lead to algae problems in Lake Winnipeg, but reducing what's coming from the Moorhead Plant will likely not stop the phosphorus issue. Reducing phosphorus and nutrients from the Moorhead facility is certainly not sufficient to solve the problem but it might be part of the solution. Other cities around the state may face a similar license renewal problem.

The city of Moorhead has not yet officially heard from the state pollution control agency, so it's not sure what actions will be needed.

The U.S. EPA, the Department of Justice, and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) announced a comprehensive Clean Water Act settlement with the city of Jackson, MS. Jackson has agreed to make improvements to its sewer systems to eliminate unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage and unauthorized bypasses of treatment at the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, the city’s largest wastewater treatment facility.

The consent decree requires Jackson to implement specific programs designed to ensure proper management, operation and maintenance of its sewer systems. In order to address the problem of wet weather overflows of raw sewage from the sewer lines, Jackson will develop and implement a comprehensive sewer system assessment and rehabilitation program. The city will also develop and implement a comprehensive performance evaluation and composite correction program to reduce the bypasses of treatment at the Savanna Street WWTP.

The consent decree also requires Jackson to develop and implement numerous sewer system capacity, management, operations and maintenance programs, including a pump station operation and preventive maintenance program, a WWTP operation and maintenance program and a water quality monitoring program.

In addition to the control requirements, the consent decree requires Jackson to pay a civil penalty of $437,916. As part of the settlement, Jackson has also agreed to implement a supplemental environmental project valued at $875,000 that will provide additional environmental benefits to the local community. The project involves reducing the flow of water from entering the sewer system by eliminating illicit stormwater connections and repairing defective private lateral sewer lines from the low-income residential properties.

The proposed consent decree with Jackson is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval before becoming effective.

The village of Sunrise Beach has a $2.5 million wastewater treatment system in the works to provide sewer service to approximately 25 residential and 40 commercial customers.

Village engineering firm Schultz Surveying & Engineering has completed the design of the sewer with an upgrade planned to an existing treatment facility. The collection system and facility plans are now undergoing a review by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Village officials are trying to compress the time frame of the review and get at least the plan for the sewer line network approved by the beginning of December. With a sign-off from DNR, the village can work on the bid documents for contractors. There will be separate bidding for the lines and the wastewater treatment facility. Ongoing easement acquisition will continue.

The total cost for building a new wastewater treatment plant that would be able to reduce the nitrogen discharge from the Newmarket Wastewater Treatment Plant to the levels the federal government wants is $18 million, according to Sean Greig, the superintendent of the town's wastewater treatment plant.

He said it would cost $14.1 million to get the plant to 8 milligrams per liter, with an annual operating and management cost of $345,000, then ratepayers would have to finance another $3.9 million to get the nitrogen discharge levels to 3 milligrams per liter, which the federal government wants, with an additional annual cost of $35,000.

The total nitrogen discharge now is 30 milligrams per liter.

He discussed three proposals for ratepayers to pay for the new facility during a recent meeting.

The first one calls for building a facility that could lower the nitrogen levels to 3 milligrams per liter from the 30 milligrams per liter. Under that option, there would be a one-time rate increase in 2017-2018. Under that scenario, sewer rates would go from $6.70 per 100 cubic feet to $18.55 per $100 cubic feet or for an average ratepayer, or the yearly cost would go from $406 now to $702 per year, according to Greig.

The second option calls for building the plant to get to the 8 milligrams per liter and have ratepayers incur a one-time increase in 2017-2018, and then another increase in 2027-2028 when the facility is upgraded to reach the 3 milligrams per liter level, Greig said.

That means ratepayers would see the sewer rate jump to $16.26 in 2017-2018, and then again to $18.73 per 100 cubic feet in 2027-28.

The third option calls for equal annual increases starting in July 2013.

Town Administrator Steve Fournier also told the council they would have to settle on a plan by January if they wanted to get a bonding option on the March ballot.

A water treatment plant in New Jersey has released more than three billion gallons of "partially treated wastewater" into the New York Harbor since being damaged by a twelve-foot storm surge from Hurricane Sandy. The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission in Newark continues to pump in more than 200 million gallons of dirty-ish water per day, and there's no telling when it will be fixed. "We've never had the facility flood like this," said executive director Mike DeFrancisci, who expects repairs to be completed "ASAP."

"The water is being treated with chlorine, but then there’s the industrial extras. Human waste is hazardous to public health if you get exposed to it, but it's the hidden stuff that's mixed in with the sewage that normally gets pulled out at the treatment plant that isn't getting pulled out," said Hackensack Riverkeeper Bill Sheehan. "If it was just household sewers it would be one thing, but we have to worry about all the other stuff."

Still, the Department of Environmental Protection urges everyone to remain calm. "It's not like an industrial plant that is dumping dioxins in the river that don't go away," said a spokesman. "These are materials that, while they aren't nice to see or smell, will eventually break down and dissipate."

Two weeks after Hurricane Sandy flooded the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant in East Rockaway, sewage that has only been partially treated continues to pump into the Rockaway Channel, according to Nassau County officials.

"The raw sewage that is going into the plant is being treated, it's being chlorinated," said Nassau County Ed Mangano. "But the secondary systems are down."

Before the storm, the plant was pumping water that had been fully treated, said Mangano. But because so many of the plant's pumps were compromised when nine feet of water gushed onto shore during Sandy, the raw sewage had to be diverted in order to prevent it from going into people's homes.

The county has the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers at the plant, actively creating temporary cleansing stations while they rebuild the plant. Part of the restoration will include creating new ways to make the plant flood-proof.

There is no time table for when the plant will be fully operational but it could take six months to a year.

The Rochester City Council will hold public hearings on proposed new sewer and water rates.

The proposed increases to the water and sewer rates come with the expected required upgrades to Rochester’s wastewater treatment plant, as the U.S. EPA is considering limiting the amount of nitrogen that is allowed to be discharged from the plant. While the plant currently discharges more than 20 milligrams per liter of nitrogen, city officials have previously reported that EPA will likely force the city to limit that number to 3 milligrams per liter, which would require multimillion dollar upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant.

The city of Shelby plans to move forward with nearly $12 million in wastewater system improvements that will help the city continue to compete for new and expanding industry.

Recently, City Council approved plans to finance improvements to the First Broad River Wastewater Treatment Plant and sewer lines from the First Broad River and Hickory Creek. It also approved City Manager Rick Howell to negotiate contracts with engineering firms to work on the projects.

The city will also face more stringent wastewater treatment limits from the state Aug. 1, 2016, and the improvements will help meet those requirements.

The improvements will cost:

• $11,949,300 – total estimated cost of wastewater plant and outfall projects
• 8,550,660 – estimated cost of wastewater plant project
• 3,398,640 – estimated cost of outfall project

Newton Commissioners will decide whether to move ahead with a sewer expansion in southeastern Catawba County that would cost more than $13 million.

At issue are:

• An agreement between Catawba County and City of Hickory to construct a Catawba Wastewater Treatment plant expansion at a cost of $5,370,139.

• Award bids for construction of NC 150 sewer project, divisions 1, 4 and 5, to Neill Grading & Construction Co., Inc. of Hickory for $2,975,354.

• Award the bid for construction of NC 150 sewer project, divisions 2 and 3, to Hickory Sand Company, Inc. of Hickory for $3,711,763.

• Approve a contract amendment for construction services, post-construction phase services, and re-design of Old 16 & Marina Pump Stations to McGill Associates for $409,600 and authorize the Mini Brooks act exemption.

• Approve a budget revision for a $13.3 million loan, which includes $5,370,139 for Catawba County’s 50 percent share of Hickory‘s Catawba Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion and $7,929,861 for the NC 150 sewer project.

The county will own 50 percent of the plant’s capacity and will pay 50 percent of the cost to operate the plant until it can pay for itself. The county will own the sewer lines, said Barry Edwards, director of utilities and engineering for Catawba County.

Edwards said negotiations with property owners for the locations for two pump stations along the new lines are continuing and he hopes to have it worked out by the time commissioners meet on the item. The projects went out to bid before securing two of the properties needed for pump stations because the county needed to understand all of the costs of the project, Edwards said.

With construction already underway, Dickinson took another huge step Monday toward the end result of a brand new wastewater treatment reclamation facility.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission unanimously approved a $40.5 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program loan to the city, a sum that will provide most of what will end up being a $48 million project, said Dickinson City Administrator Shawn Kessel.

Several years in the making, the new plant — which will replace Dickinson’s outdated lagoon system of wastewater treatment — should be fully operational by fall 2014.

"The initial construction of this facility will allow the city to treat effluent to a population in the mid-30,000 range," said Kessel. "The current lagoon-based system is exceeding design parameters."

"The new mechanical plant has been designed to treat effluent to a higher standard, which allows the city to sell the treated product," said Kessel. "Those revenues will be dedicated to pay down the facility construction costs, thereby lowering the cost for residents.

Construction began on the facility in August and is ahead of schedule, partly due to the area’s mild autumn weather so far, said a representative of Apex Engineering Group, the Fargo-based firm that drew the plans for the new complex. Along with being sold for industrial purposes, treated water will also be released into the Heart River and could also be used for irrigation purposes.

Fargo-based John T. Jones Construction is the main contractor working on the project with Muth Electric and Williams Plumbing and Heating of Bozeman, MT assisting.

Originally, the city had planned to pour money into improvements to the existing lagoon system, but Dickinson’s energy boom-driven growing population dictated the city move to construct a new mechanical treatment plant, said Kessel. Conservative estimates have Dickinson growing to a population upwards of 30,000 within the next decade.

The water quality of tributary streams to the lower Maumee River and Lake Erie is impaired largely by bacteria from poorly treated sewage from home septic systems and small wastewater treatment plants, according to a report approved recently by the U.S. EPA. Rural and urban storm water run-off is also cited as a common cause.

Data were collected in 2006 and 2008 from streams feeding the lower Maumee as well as streams between the Maumee and Toussaint rivers that drain to Lake Erie – an area that covers about 282 square miles in Lucas, Wood, and Ottawa counties.

The Clean Water Act requires that waters not meeting quality standards be identified and practices for bringing them into compliance be adopted – a policy called the Total Maximum Daily Load program, which calculates the maximum amount of pollutants a body of water can receive without exceeding EPA quality standards.

A draft of the report, compiled by the Ohio EPA, was available for public review from May 9 to June 11, 2012 and some major industries in the area offered comments on the draft.

Several remedial actions are suggested in the report:

• Replace failing septic systems and investigate the feasibility of connecting communities with no sewers to existing public sewer systems.
• Install grassy buffers to slow storm water run-off
• Promote decentralized storm water practices to reduce sediment in storm water run-off and improve conditions for storm water to penetrate the ground.

A state loan will fund the bulk of a $7 million upgrade for Broken Arrow's Haikey Creek wastewater treatment plant.

The 20-year, $6.5 million Oklahoma Water Resources Board loan will help replace outdated equipment and increase the capacity of the 29-year-old plant. The city will contribute $500,000.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has ordered the city to replace the plant's flow equalization basin liner, which is 25 years old and has rips. Other upgrades will include replacing disinfection equipment and improving sludge-handling and aeration systems. The project will take about seven months.

The plant is the largest of two in Broken Arrow and can process 16 mgd.

Coos Bay City officials are in the pre-design stage for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant, which will replace treatment plant No. 2 in Empire.

Initial plans show the new plant will cost around $24 million. The plant will be paid for by users over time, with the city taking out loans to cover the initial costs.

Engineering Service Coordinator Jennifer Wirsing said the predesign of the new plant should be done by summer 2013. The city already has mapped out the new facility's needs and requirements, and awarded contracts to SHN Consulting Engineers & Geologists of Coos Bay and CH2M Hill to build the plant.

It will take around two years to build the plant once the pre-design stage is complete.

The old plant, which was built in the late 1960s, was last upgraded in the 1990s and is outdated. Public Works and Development Director Jim Hossley said the changing environment around the plant, the evolving corrosive elements in wastewater, flow increase and limited space are some reasons the plant needs to be replaced. Hossley said the city looked at various options to replace the plant, including manmade wetlands for natural waste consumption and doing away with the plant altogether, but none of those options were cost effective.

The new plant will have a new and more efficient way of treating wastewater by using sequence batch reactors. The wastewater will be treated with ultraviolet light in these tanks instead of chlorine, as is the case now. The upgraded tanks are simpler to operate and would make operating costs at the facility go down, Wirsing said.

The larger treatment center, which also would serve 25 percent of residents outside of city limits, will be located farther away from the ocean in case of overflow or tidal surges.

The next stage for the city is to finish the pre-design plans and move to the final design. The final design will deal with actual construction of the plant and tying up all the loose ends that go a long with a project of this size.

Allentown City Council voted to support sending a request for proposals (RFPs) to seven companies interested in leasing the city’s water and sewer systems for up to 50 years – a lease the mayor hopes will bring at least $200 million and prevent the city from going over "a fiscal precipice."

The Mayor hopes to get proposals from the seven qualified bidders by the beginning of December and to select one before the end of this year. He wants to have a signed contract no later than March.

Mayor Pawlowski said bid proposals from the water companies will be reviewed by a small committee of City Council members and city administrators, which will make a recommendation to the full council.

Pawlowski said the process will stop "if the proposals that come back do not meet the expectations we hope to get." But he also warned council: "If we don’t do something dramatic, we will fall off that fiscal precipice. We will destroy the city financially." He repeatedly said the alternative to leasing will be "massive" increases in both taxes and water rates to pay the city’s rising pension obligations.

Recently, bids for the upgrade of South Middleton Township’s wastewater treatment facility were nullified by the Municipal Authority (SMTMA). The bids were way beyond the budget of $4 million to $6.3 million.

The action was arrived at after a meeting which saw the tackling of possible legal actions with regard to the bids.

Estimated to cost $14.3 million, the lowest bid was $18,295,000 from Lobar Inc. Second lowest bid was Quandel Construction Group at around $18.5 million.

In the meeting, Quandel Construction senior project manager asked for the disqualification of the lowest bid due to alleged discrepancies. After the meeting, the board cancelled all the bids and will re-offer it. No design changes were indicated. Another 60 days will be spent for the electrical and mechanical bidding process.

Recently, Clearfield Borough Council heard details about the proposed construction of a new sewage treatment plant from its Engineer Todd Banks of Stiffler McGraw & Associates of Hollidaysburg before approving the Clearfield Municipal Authority (CMA) 537 plan, which calls for these upgrades.

Banks said the current sewage treatment plant is 50 years old and unable to meet the changing environmental requirements. If constructed, he said the new plant would cost $33 million.

The CMA currently has $4 million toward the construction of the new plant and is attempting to obtain as much of the $20 million maximum funding available through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority. However, if a new sewage treatment plant is not constructed, it would lead to costly fines from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In addition, it would leave the community with an aging plant that is nearing the end of its expected lifespan.

Banks also said by not constructing the new plant, the CMA would have to purchase nitrogen credits. This would cost CMA customers around $10 per month, or $30 per quarterly billing period.

The new plant could treat around 4.5 mgd of sewage and handle a peak influx of storm water of up to 25 mgd. The current plant only treats around 2.6 mgd.

An estimated $34 million project to upgrade the South Abington Township Wastewater Treatment Plant moved one step closer to construction when board members voted to advertise the project.

At a recent Abington Regional Wastewater Authority meeting, project engineer James Elliot, of Gannett Fleming Inc., said the design phase is completed and the project is ready to move "full steam ahead."

Construction on the treatment plant in South Abington Twp., which serves sewer users in Clarks Summit, Clarks Green and South Abington, is scheduled for April. The project must be completed by October 2015.

The project is designed to bring the treatment plant into compliance with a federal mandate meant to reduce pollution that eventually ends up in the Chesapeake Bay.

The South Middleton Township Municipal Authority voted to reject all general construction bids related to its wastewater treatment plant upgrade that came in about $6.3 million over estimate.

The decision came after the authority board discussed matters of potential litigation regarding the bids in an executive session. Citing what he saw as discrepancies in a competitor’s bid, Steven Morra, senior project manager for Quandel Construction Group, asked the authority to reject an $18,295,000 bid for general construction submitted by Lobar Inc. While Lobar was apparent low bidder, Quandel submitted the next lowest bid at about $18.5 million, Morra said.

The board rejected all the construction bids and decided to re-advertise that part of the project without any mention of possible design revisions. Consideration of the bids for electrical and mechanical work was extended by 60 days.

The authority board decision came after Monroe Township officials vented frustration over a lack of information regarding the plant upgrade. They accused SMTMA of not providing details on a project in which Monroe Township will end up paying about 13 percent of the costs. The Monroe Township Board of Supervisors have been requesting information on the plant design since October 2011 with little or no success.

"It is our belief that recently received bids are extremely over budget and steps must be taken to reevaluate this project," Simmons said. He suggested a three-step process in which the townships could work together to reduce the project costs to the mutual benefit of their utility rate payers.

Possible revisions could include relocating the proposed plant upgrade out of the floodplain, reducing redundancies in the treatment process or phasing-in the project.

The plant upgrade is necessary to meet requirements under the Chesapeake Bay Initiative to remove nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater. The upgrade would also renovate the 35-year-old plant and double its capacity from 750,000 to 1.5 MGD. The percentage Monroe Township would pay in project costs would be equal to its share of capacity in the plant once the upgrade is complete.

The Brownwood City Council approved borrowing funds totaling $3,440,000 for needed upgrades to the city’s current wastewater treatment plant and to reimburse the city for engineering fees already paid for the planning and design of the proposed supplemental water treatment plant.

Of those funds, $3,080,000 will be used for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant as required by TCEQ. The TCEQ inspects and permits the city’s wastewater treatment plant each year, and without these upgrades, the city risks not being issued a permit in the future.

Middleton listed numerous required repairs including a new requirement by TCEQ using biological treatment of phosphorus.

The city recently renewed their annual permit on the plant though TCEQ for $22,600.

The cost to expand Strasburg's wastewater treatment plant came in more than 50 percent higher than an engineer's estimate, and town officials want to know why.

Strasburg received bids from eight firms interested in the project needed to expand the capacity of the facility. P.C. Construction Co. of Vermont submitted the lowest bid at $31.4 million, according to Town Manager Judson Rex. The lowest estimate comes in more than $1.1 million over the $20 million estimate provided to Town Council by engineer firm Malcolm Pirnie.

Town Council, made aware of the bid amounts plans to hear from the engineer to find out how his estimate came in so much lower than the bids, Rex said.

The town most likely will not move forward with hiring a firm to build the project, instead, officials and Town Council probably will need to revisit the designs and find ways to reduce the cost to build the plant. Going back to the drawing board would delay the project further. The town faces no state or federally imposed deadline to expand the plant, but Strasburg did see the plant's capacity hit 90 percent recently, and that set into action efforts to expand the facility.

The town stood poised to pay $20 million for the project, but Rex said Strasburg can't afford to spend $31.4 million.

The second lowest bid of $32.9 million came from Mid Eastern Builders Inc. of Chesapeake. The highest price of $38.2 million and the narrow spread of the proposed costs provided by each firm confirmed the legitimacy of the bids, Rex said.

Synagro Technologies, Inc. announced that it has agreed to provide critical support to bring New Jersey’s largest wastewater treatment facility back into operation following damage sustained from Hurricane Sandy.

The company is providing 10 centrifuges and additional equipment to the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission facility in Newark, whose operations were curtailed after flooding damaged vital equipment. The facility treats biosolids extracted from 330 MGD of wastewater routed from Newark, Essex, Passaic, Union, Hudson and Bergen counties, serving more than 3.5 million New Jersey residents.

The emergency support will allow the facility to continue treating wastewater while it takes steps to regain full operational capacity. Under the terms of the agreement, Synagro will provide support on an as-needed basis until the facility becomes fully operational.

The company is working alongside the Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA and state and local officials.

Separately, the company also has agreed to provide four belt presses to support a hurricane-damaged wastewater treatment facility in Nassau County, NY.

The emergency response contracts follow the company’s one-week turnaround in taking over Houston’s network of 14 wastewater facilities in conjunction with another service provider when its current contractor ended its contractual obligations.

You can track all the water chemical bids in the new database in the report at:

https://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Universal_Water_Chemical/Subscriber/uwcDB/TofC.htm

Here are the titles added since the last update.

Birmingham, AL

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Universal_Water_Chemical/Subscriber/uwcDB/totentry.asp?ref=2134

Tempe, AZ

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Universal_Water_Chemical/Subscriber/uwcDB/totentry.asp?ref=2132

Hightstown, NJ

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Universal_Water_Chemical/Subscriber/uwcDB/totentry.asp?ref=2133

Montgomery County, OH

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Universal_Water_Chemical/Subscriber/uwcDB/totentry.asp?ref=2130

Lebanon, PA

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Universal_Water_Chemical/Subscriber/uwcDB/totentry.asp?ref=2129

Washington, DC

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Universal_Water_Chemical/Subscriber/uwcDB/totentry.asp?ref=2128

E-mail: editor@mcilvainecompany.com