The third storage tank at the Allegan Wastewater Treatment plant may be put to use for the first time since 2009 later this year. The tank does not currently meet the plant’s quality standards; however, that will change with a $1.5-million update.

Grand Rapids-based Owen Ames Kimball will construct the upgrades, which will allow the tank to treat sewage without using any chemicals. The wastewater plant has not used any chemicals in its primary treatment process in more than a year.

The upgrade will increase plant capacity and provide back-up redundancy, Plant Superintendent Doug Sweeris said.

A public hearing is set for May 14 to discuss an improvement plan for the plant.

The plan includes adding a second septage receiving station, a second UV disinfection system, a mechanical sludge thickening system, a mixing system for an underground storage tank, odor control measures and relocating a pump.

The first portion of the plan is set for 2013 and estimated at $1.1 million.

A new water rate study presented to Summit officials recently suggests bills will not rise as sharply as previously thought to pay for a wastewater treatment project.

Summit faces two options and a tight deadline to correct its sewage treatment problems. They must decide to either pump sewage to McComb's treatment plant or build their own activated sludge plant.

Summit officials would prefer the town be allowed to build a plant, saying it would be cheaper than sending sewage to McComb.

The Independence Wastewater Treatment Plant will be putting out even cleaner water thanks to a facilities upgrade officially begun in May. The project has two main parts:

• A new incinerator that will use natural gas rather than coal, like the 25-year-old incinerator it will replace. That means less air pollution and the capacity to tighten up emissions even further should regulations require it in the future. It also should mean fewer trucks coming and going from the plant.

• A disinfectant facility, online by next April, that uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria before water leaves the plant.

"This is a very important milestone for the district," said Greg Boettcher, executive director of the Little Blue Valley Sewer District.

Officials hope to have the work done in 2014. They say it will create the equivalent of about 190 jobs, and they said they give a preference to local contractors and other local businesses.

The $53 million project, awarded to Whiting-Turner of Kansas City, came in below the estimated cost of $62 million. The district also is taking advantage of federally subsidized Build America Bond, part of the federal economic stimulus package of 2009.

The district covers most of Eastern Jackson County and beyond – a 278-square-mile area with 13 cities from Independence and Sugar Creek to Blue Springs, Raytown, Lee’s Summit, Grandview, Belton and the Raymore area. The district has existed for more than 40 years, created in response to the need to manage what was flowing into the Little Blue River.

Christian Construction Co. Inc. is now accepting bids from qualified Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises, contractors or material suppliers for the Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements - disinfection improvements project for the city of Pleasant Hope.

Plans and specs are available for review at Olsson Associates, 550 St. Louis St, Springfield, MO 65806.

Bids are due in our office no later than 1:00 PM DST, May 18, 2012. Contact Eldon Harmon for more information or go to:

http://bolivarmonews.com/public_notices/legals-for-issue-of/article_ad054570-9457-11e1-a892-0019bb2963f4.html

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen has announced a $12,093,000 package of grants and loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a wastewater treatment project in Conway. The award will fully fund the construction of a pipeline from Conway Village's wastewater plant to one in North Conway that has the capacity to take on additional treatment.

The village’s current wastewater facility is operating at capacity and uses outdated technology that does not treat the water it discharges into the Saco River for nitrogen and phosphorous. The state of New Hampshire has placed a moratorium on building permits in Conway Village due to a lack of adequate wastewater treatment capacity.

"With the construction of the new pipeline supported by this award, Conway will be able to lift a building moratorium that has placed a stranglehold on its economy. At the same time, the Saco River’s natural habitat will be protected, ensuring that it remains a popular tourist destination and important piece of the local economy."

Sayreville’s borough’s legal counsel plans to renegotiate its contract with the Middlesex County Utilities Authority (MCUA) after receiving complaints about odors possibly emanating from the agency’s wastewater facility.

The contract, which requires the MCUA to pay $288,000 each quarter as a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to the borough, expires in December 2013, but Borough Attorney Michael DuPont is already in negotiations with MCUA officials. Council members requested the PILOT fees be increased due to the effect that permeating odors have on the surrounding area.

Residents of nearby areas of the borough have made public complaints at the last two Borough Council meetings, complaining of foul odors they believe originate from the facility.

To follow up on the problem, Borough Engineer Jay Cornell provided the council with copies of letters sent from the borough to the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Middlesex County Public Health Department, detailing residents’ concerns about the odors. The letters were sent in 2008, and the health department responded with policies and procedures for the filing of complaints.

In response to recent issues, Richard Fitament, executive director of the MCUA, issued a press release on April 30 outlining the agency’s wastewater process and odor control system.

The MCUA provides wastewater treatment formore than 800,000 residents of central New Jersey. According to the release, the facility uses cutting-edge technology to ensure its processes are in compliance with all DEP-issued permits. In addition, the MCUA is currently making $100,000 in improvements to the odor control system. The money will be used to install larger pipes early in the cleaning process, capturing the odors sooner and allowing the filtering process to sort through materials in the air.

"All operations at the MCUA are in full compliance with DEP-issued permits," Fitament said. "This includes the production of … a recycled, organic material designed as a soil additive. Officials from the DEP regularly inspect our site and review our processes to ensure environmental compliance. All of our historical and current experience with [the product in question] has proven that it is a beneficial material."

Blowing Rock received bids for the wastewater treatment plant improvement Phase II project on March 27, 2012.

The low bidder was Greene Construction Co from McGill Associates for $408,998.

For more information go to: http://www.townofblowingrock.com/supdoc/2012-10.pdf

Increased production demands and rising disposal costs prompted the need for an expansion at the Elledge Wastewater Treatment facility in Winston-Salem. The facility services the greater Winston-Salem area, which is growing at a considerable rate.

The facility was using conveyors to move dewatered sludge from their centrifuge to a storage building. From here it was loaded onto trucks and transported to privately owned sites chosen for the city of Winston-Salem Class B Land Application Program.

"Due to higher restrictions on the class B product, reduced land fill space and increased landfill cost Winston-Salem looked for a way to reduce disposal volume and make the product user friendly," says Bruce Casey, Biosolids Drying Facility Plant Supervisor.

The solution was an Andritz biosolids dryer facility, which would turn the dewatered sludge into a marketable Class A, EQ (Exceptional Quality) fertilizer pellet.

Before the conversion to a dual cake-pump system, a conveyor was transporting the dewatered sludge to a storage building. Now conveyors are depositing the sludge into a custom extended hopper.

Andritz planned and completed construction of the dryer building in 2007. It was designed to turn dewatered sludge into dry fertilizer pellets that could be sold to farmers at a profit.

When the sludge arrives in the building it is deposited in a 24-hour storage bin. A second seepex BTE 70-24 sits below the storage bin. Here the dewatered sludge is pumped to a mixer and blended with pellets. The auger forces the material into the compression zone where it is moved into the piping by the cavities formed between the rotor and stator (materials are custom selected for every application). The mixture is then run through the Andritz dryer system. The resulting product is fertilizer pellets.

To summarize, Winston -Salem needed to avoid rising transport and landfill costs. By adding the dryer building, Winston-Salem had effectively turned a cost center into a profit center. By using seepex Progressive Cavity Pumps instead of conveyors they contained the sludge and saved roughly $1,500 in capital costs per foot of conveyor.

"We needed to find a way to reduce cost and with the help of the seepex pumps we now have a system in place which will allow us to maintain economical and eco-friendly water treatment for Winston Salem," says Bruce.

For more than two years businesses in the neighborhood of Marietta's wastewater treatment plant have had to deal with an overwhelming odor of raw sludge that emanates daily from the wastewater facility. But following a meeting with local property and business owners recently, city officials are taking some steps they hope will help reduce the problem.

Wastewater superintendent Steve Elliott said city council's water, sewer and sanitation committee has given him permission to try applying a chemical called VX-456 to the unprocessed sludge that has been rolling through the plant since an equipment failure idled two anaerobic digester tanks in January 2010.

"Most of the odor is created during the dewatering process when we're trying to remove water from the sludge," Elliott explained. "We've contacted five other wastewater plants that have had the same problem and they all say this product works and really reduced the smell. "He said the chemical is injected into the sludge feed prior to the dewatering process to help remove the odor.

Neighborhood businesses hope the chemical will make a difference.

Councilman Mike McCauley, D-2nd Ward, and chairman of the water, sewer and sanitation committee, said there have been several complaints about the odor from the hotels and Lafayette Square businesses.

It will cost the city about $7,000 to have the necessary equipment installed and to obtain enough of the VX-456 to do a two-week trial run to see if the chemical application will make a difference.

The trial run is expected to begin in about three weeks.

Elliott said if the process works, it could cost the city up to $70,000 a year to continue the chemical application until new sludge processing equipment can be installed as part of the wastewater treatment plant upgrade that's currently in its first phase.

"Phase 2 will take care of most of the odor problem," he said. "The second phase design is 90 percent complete and we have (Ohio Environmental Protection Agency) approval."

The second phase of the three-phase project is expected to begin later this summer, and design for the third phase is in the early stages.

The entire $20-plus million plant upgrade project is currently slated for completion in April 2015.

Meanwhile, area businesses hope the city can cut down on the odor.

Heath's wastewater department is preparing to remove a lift station and increase the efficiency of its sewage treatment.

The two projects will cost an estimated $464,000 and will be paid from the wastewater replacement fund, which currently has about $1.5 million.

The lift station was installed in 1997 to serve the Fox Run addition on the south end of the city. Now, the station also handles nearby industry waste, and Geller is concerned that additional industry could overload the station.

"If the lift station would fail, we could get industrial waste that would back up into a residential area," said Heath Utilities Director John Geller.

The project is in the engineering phase and has an estimated cost of $300,000. The station's elimination should save $2,600 per year in electricity, generator service and maintenance, plus 1,000 worker hours.

Heath will also update its jet aerators, which help clean the liquid or sludge waste. The project will take place later this year and will cost an estimated $164,000. The change should save $10,000 on electricity per year through running only one aerator at a time.

A sewer district that serves the town of Amber has received a grant that will help pay for enlarging its wastewater treatment capacity.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board approved a $39,500 Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grant for Grady County Rural Water, Sewer and Solid Waste Management District #2, announced J.D. Strong, executive director of the state agency.

The REAP grant will be coupled with a $294,500 Community Development Block Grant and $4,645 in district funds, ledgers reflect. The $338,645 will be earmarked for capital improvements to the district's sewage treatment system.

Blueprints indicate planned improvements include construction of a new secondary treatment lagoon, construction of a new sewage lift station and rehabilitation of the existing lift station.

Grady County #2, which provides both water and sewer service to Amber, has been directed by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to upgrade its wastewater treatment system to prevent discharges of untreated sewage, records show.

Grady County #2 owns and operates a two-cell total-retention lagoon treatment system.

"Storage and water balance calculations show that an additional 1.15 million gallons of storage would be needed" to comply with Oklahoma Administrative Code regulations, Myers reported.

The new lagoon will encompass one-half acre in surface area and will be 6 feet deep, Myers Engineering said. The new secondary treatment cell will increase the district's total wastewater storage capacity by 25 percent, to 55.5 million gallons of wastewater, Myers said. That's equivalent to a 180-day storage volume for the district's 200 customers, Myers added.

The new lift station will transfer effluent from the existing secondary cell to the new lagoon via more than 1,000 linear feet of new sewer main. New pumps will be installed in the existing lift station, which receives all of the wastewater from Amber and pumps it to the primary wastewater treatment lagoon. In addition, a backup generator will be installed to power the existing lift station in the event of an interruption in electric service.

The Locust Grove Public Works Authority held a special meeting to approve the engineering report by Garver Engineering for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant.

The plan approved will make improvements to the existing wastewater treatment plant at a cost of $3.45 million. The improvements will replace existing equipment. This recommendation is the least expensive of the recommendations made by Garver Engineering.

No final decision has been made on the wastewater treatment plant project. Locust Grove is being ordered by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to make upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant or build a new one.

A successful public/private partnership in sustainable technology continues between Clean Water Services and Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. with the unveiling of the world's largest municipal Nutrient Recovery Facility, at the Rock Creek Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility in Hillsboro.

Clean Water Services' Rock Creek Nutrient Recovery Facility uses Ostara's Pearl® Nutrient Recovery Process to capture phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater and transform them into Crystal Green®, an environmentally-friendly, slow release fertilizer, which is sold locally and throughout the country.

Ostara's Pearl process benefits Clean Water Services and its ratepayers by reducing operations and maintenance costs, increasing plant capacity and providing revenue from the sale of the fertilizer. The combination of cost savings and revenue are projected to pay off the $4.475 million Rock Creek Nutrient Recovery Facility in six years. The recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from the wastewater stream also helps Clean Water Services meet stringent nutrient limits (the Rock Creek Facility must not exceed 0.1 mg/L of total phosphorus discharge) and further protects the Tualatin Watershed.

The project was also granted an Oregon Department of Energy Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) of $1.12 million which helped fund the facility's construction. The Rock Creek Nutrient Recovery Facility requires one seventh the amount of energy to create 1,200 tons of Crystal Green as it takes to create an equal amount of conventional fertilizer.

Based on the successful operation of Ostara's nutrient recovery technology at Clean Water Services' Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, installed in 2009, this second installation of the Pearl technology at Rock Creek features two Pearl 2000 fluidized bed reactors. Each reactor will provide four times the capacity of the Pearl 500 reactors installed at Durham. The Pearl 2000 system at Rock Creek will generate a combined capacity of 1,200 tons of Crystal Green fertilizer every year, compared with an annual capacity of 500 tons for the Durham facility. Clean Water Services is now the largest municipal producer of Crystal Green in the world.

Peters Creek Sanitary Authority approved a long-term agreement paving way for $40 million in expansions to a Clairton wastewater plant that are needed for new housing construction in portions of Washington County.

The authority board unanimously approved the plan with the Clairton Municipal Authority, which is under a state Department of Environmental Protection to expand its plant to accept excessive flows during heavy rain, said Otto Szabo Jr., chairman of the Peters authority.

The authority’s 4,500 customers in Peters, Union and Nottingham townships and Finleyville served by Clairton will experience a significant increase in their wastewater treatment bills to pay for the work. However, the new rates have yet to be set and won’t take place until CMA completes the expansions in three or four years.

The approval by Peters Creek will also set the stage for the DEP to begin reviewing applications by contractors to construct new housing plans in areas served by the Clairton plant.

The Porter-Tower Joint Municipal Authority received $11 million in state funds as part of a $115 million investment in water infrastructure projects throughout the state announced April 25.

The Porter-Tower Joint Municipal Authority received a $6,855,220 low-interest loan and a $4,698,780 grant to build a new wastewater treatment facility and modify existing facilities, eliminating inadequately treated sewage discharge.

"Our plant is hydraulically overloaded," said Wayne Orlick, the authority's superintendent. "With the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI) limiting discharges, plants need to be specially equipped and we needed to build a new plant."

Established in 2008, the CBWI provides technical and financial assistance along with strict regulations regarding conservation of local water sources and the Chesapeake Bay. New limits and requirements will go into effect in October 2013.

"Hopefully, we have everything in place by Oct. 1, 2013, to meet the requirements," Orlick said.

The Porter-Tower Joint Municipal Authority provides services to about 1,400 households in Tower City and portions of Porter Township. Orlick said he hopes to start opening the project for bid by mid-May.

Waverly Twp. officials are considering a $1 to $2 million addition to its sewer system to reduce nitrogen discharged into local waterways to better comply with limits set by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

In August, the township launched a pilot program to see if a proposed addition to the treatment plant would reduce nitrogen levels, according to township manager Bill White. The township uses a lagoon-style treatment system that Mr. White said is both efficient and cost-effective. The plant serves about 750 households throughout the township and treats between 250,000 and 300,000 gallons of wastewater each day.

Waverly Twp.'s treatment plant uses a specific type of bacteria to reduce nitrogen levels during the treatment of its wastewater. The plant's nitrogen levels must stay below four parts per million in the warmer months, when the bacteria works very well at reducing nitrogen levels. And though the DEP's nitrogen limit in colder months is 12 parts per million, the Waverly Twp. plant was sometimes discharging treated wastewater containing as much as 14 parts per million.

"That's a violation," Mr. White said. "We've received citations from DEP."

The township's pilot program has been more successful than expected, Mr. White said. The smaller-scale version of the addition, which treats about 1,500 gallons daily, reduced nitrogen levels to less than one part per million.

"The study continues," Mr. White said, adding that he hopes to turn study information over to the DEP by August. "As soon as DEP evaluates the study and we get the approval, we can start construction."

The township has obtained a grant through the state Department of Community and Economic Development to fund two-thirds of the project, up to $1 million. The rest will be paid by the township.

A request for proposals to construct upgrades on Woonsocket's wastewater treatment plant has brought forward three bidders for the project, which is moving forward despite requests by members of Woonsocket's legislative delegation that construction be delayed. Veolia Water, CH2MHill, and United Wastewater submitted proposals to design and build the upgrades that are expected to cost the city an estimated $35 million.

Woonsocket is under contract with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to upgrade the plant, decreasing the levels of pollutants discharged into the Blackstone River. Legal, technical and financial teams are now examining the three proposals, and an ordinance authorizing the selected bidder to begin work is expected to come before the City Council this June.

The current deadline for the project is January of 2015.

A draft plan for the upgrades was submitted to DEM in March, but according to Public Works Director Sheila McGauvran, they have kept many aspects of the project open in order to allow the contractor maximum flexibility in regards to materials and cost. "We wanted to allow these teams some creativity," McGauvran explained. "Because there's different techniques that could be used, we didn't want to lock in one. We really need to do this at the lowest possible cost."

The project is being financed with the help of low interest loans from Clean Water Action for $4 million and $26 million and the City Council has already approved the corresponding rise in sewer rates.

The Cumberland Hill Road facility is currently owned by the city of Woonsocket and operated by Veolia.

Construction of a $5.5 million expansion of Jonesborough’s wastewater treatment plant will get under way Monday and continue through next spring.

Representatives of USDA Rural Development, the Washington County Economic Development Council and Washington County Mayor Dan Eldridge joined Jonesborough officials to ceremoniously break ground on the project Friday at the sewer plant located just off West Main Street at the end of Britt Drive.

Jonesborough Mayor Kelly Wolfe called it a big day in Jonesborough history as the first spades of dirt were turned to mark the start of construction of two new 500,000-gallon wastewater treatment basins. "This is going to triple our capacity for growth of our industrial park," Wolfe said.

Robert Reynolds, CEO of the Washington County Economic Development Council, said wastewater infrastructure is critical to a community’s ability to recruit new industry. "When we’re talking to people about bringing development, sewer is always the first question. It all starts with sewer and sewer is what allows us to bring development and jobs to Jonesborough," Reynolds said.

Eldridge said, "There’s no doubt, creating jobs is our number one priority. This is a key element. It will add employers and create investment."

The project is being funded through about $2.2 million in grants from USDA Rural Development and about $1.5 million in Rural Development loans. The Appalachian Regional Commission also provided a $500,000 grant for the expansion.

"It’s an expensive project," Wolfe said. "We really went after the grant funding and we are so fortunate to have been successful in reducing our costs by over $2 million."

Joe Woody, area director for Rural Development said, "I’m glad to see it going in the ground."

"We have another 40-year-old loan (to Jonesborough) that’s about to be paid off and I look forward to seeing this one paid off in about 40 more years," Woody said.

Judy Construction will serve as senior project manager for the expansion. Construction is scheduled to begin Monday and projected to be complete in May of next year.

Bids are due June 5, 2012 for the Cinco Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant trunkline rehabilitation.

For more information go to: www.h2bid.com/procurement-notice-161829.html