Uniontown’s wastewater treatment plant has had an ongoing problem since at least 2005, spilling raw sewage into nearby bodies of water.

Some of Uniontown’s main industries produce about three-fourths of the wastewater that the town must treat. The current facility’s spray field cannot handle the load. But while water and sewer rates recently doubled for residents and businesses, residents are still paying more than commercial users. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this is a problem because Uniontown needs $4.4 million to overhaul its wastewater treatment plant.

On average, Uniontown residents produce about 4.6 million gallons of wastewater per month. Twenty-four businesses in Uniontown consume about 7.25 million gallons a month, with the bulk of that usage stemming from the prison, the Alabama Catfish Feed Mill and from the Harvest Select catfish processing plant.

Uniontown officials recently met with representatives from ADEM, the USDA, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and financial advisers to discuss funding options.

According to the USDA, Uniontown should consider raising its commercial rates to equal what residents are paying. But the jobs generated by those businesses are vital to Uniontown, where many people struggle to survive on minimum wage, said Uniontown Mayor Jamal Hunter. Hunter said he’s afraid that if commercial water rates go up, jobs will be eliminated. "I want to do everything I can do to keep rates where they are, because we don’t want to burden the commercial users," Hunter said. "We don’t want people to lose their jobs."

Catfish processing company Harvest Select is the largest employer in Uniontown, with about 300 employees, said Bobby Collins, plant manager. Uniontown already raised rates on June 1, when rates went up nearly 100 percent. That increase alone is hard for the catfish industry to absorb, Collins said.

The main problem behind Uniontown’s sewage leak is its current sewage treatment plant, which is not equipped to handle the capacity of sewage that needs to be treated.

During a 2005 inspection of the plant, ADEM officials discovered a sewage overflow seeping into nearby Cottonwood Creek, which feeds into Prairie Creek and then into the Black Warrior River near Demopolis. Four years later, a 2009 ADEM compliance report found additional breaches in the plant’s system that allowed raw sewage to discharge into Cottonwood Creek. According to that report, officials determined that the Uniontown plant "cannot successfully treat or even hydraulically handle the flow of wastewater that it presently receives." The addition of more wastewater from new homes or businesses would worsen the problem and likely result in more leaks, the report said. That prompted ADEM to issue an administrative order asking Uniontown to make the necessary infrastructure upgrades to fix the problem within three years. However, the leaks continued. Last year, another report found that a broken pump at the sewage treatment plant allowed 300,000 gallons of sewage into Cottonwood Creek. According to that report, the problem was "ongoing."

Last month, two separate sewage leaks were discovered. One involved a malfunctioning lift station that allowed raw sewage to leak once again into Cottonwood Creek. At the same time, it was discovered that too much treated wastewater was being poured into the city’s 50-acre spray field, where treated sewage is intended to slowly seep into the ground. A berm around the spray field collapsed, leaking discolored, foul-smelling wastewater into Freetown and Chilatchee creeks.

Another complication is heavy rain, which adds to the amount of wastewater on the already overburdened system. Engineers said the normal 300,000 gallons per day that washes through the system spikes to about 1.2 MGD after a heavy rainstorm. That volume causes the holding ponds to overflow and release untreated sewage into nearby streams.

It would cost $4.4 million for Uniontown to overhaul its wastewater treatment plant and stop raw sewage from leaking into nearby bodies of water.

The work will include sewer line repairs, upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and the purchase of 40 acres to serve as a second spray field for treated wastewater. Construction is expected to take about 18 months to complete, officials said. Finding the necessary funding will not be easy.

Uniontown has two choices: It can take out a $3.59 million general obligation loan through the USDA, which lasts 28 years, and receive an $800,000 USDA grant. Or it can take out a $4.4 million revenue loan from the USDA, which will last 38 years, and receive a $65,000 USDA grant. Regardless of which loan the town chooses, it can also use a $500,000 Delta Regional Authority grant, which is distributed through ADECA.

Any decision will have to come quickly, however, as the USDA and DRA grants will expire in August.

Complying with a federal consent decree, the Unalaska City Council approved $1.6 million to design a new wastewater treatment plant.

The Phase 2 contract is with Bristol Engineering Services Corporation. In January, the council approved funds for the preliminary design and research and the total contract with the firm is now $2.15 million, according to a memo from Public Works director Nancy Peterson and Public Utilities director Dan Winters.

The new plant will upgrade the city's sewage treatment system from primary treatment to chemically-enhanced primary treatment. It will be located at the site of the existing plant, built in 1999, which will be converted into a laboratory. The total cost is projected at $19.5 million, and is required because of a flaw in the existing plant's permit, Winters said.

During a recent meeting of the Winslow City Council, a representative of PACE Engineering gave a presentation on the equipment needed to improve the wastewater treatment plant, and make it operate more efficiently and at a lower cost.

The equipment was evaluated by the engineers and the persons who will operate it. Two filters and four pieces of dewatering equipment are needed. Many factors were considered in the decision to purchase Nova filters and PSI dewatering equipment. One factor affecting the decision was that one of lower costing pieces of equipment would mean having a new building built to hold it. With that figured in, it made a more expensive item the better buy.

The eventual cost of the project is expected to be almost $6 million. The equipment is expected to cost about $1.5 million. PACE is pursuing a Department of Agriculture grant that may cover 45 percent of the cost. The city has reserve funds designated for upgrading and repairing the wastewater facility and those will be used.

The council voted to authorize spending the reserves designated for the project, and going to bid for a contractor to buy and install the equipment.

A reduction in Ramona's expected growth has led the water district to set aside plans to expand the Santa Maria Wastewater Treatment Plant for now. Instead, it plans to improve the system by upgrading pipes and reducing rainwater infiltration.

Engineer Michael Metts explained to the water board that using a dry weather model to plan for the future—instead of a wet weather model previously used—will allow them to continue to use existing facilities and still comply with the wastewater discharge permit issued by the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB).

The water district hopes to eradicate influent, water that gets into the system that shouldn't be there," Metts told the directors. This has to be stopped."

General Manager David Barnum said, "We will need less of everything down the line if we do this."

About $100,000 of available funding will be used to analyze and reduce I&I (inflow and infiltration). Barnum said there will be no increase for ratepayers because staff will do the work. The effort is expected to take six months. Staff will use smoke detection and video cameras down manholes into the pipes to detect problem areas. Results may lead to the lining of old pipes.

Planning for the proposed expansion of the treatment plant was done in 2004. Three stages of construction were planned, based on a projected 30 percent growth, which has not happened.

The Rehoboth Beach commissioners are moving forward with a $25 million in upgrades to the city's wastewater treatment plant.

The commissioners unanimously approved pursuing funds from the U.S.Department of Agriculture to pay for the upgrades.

The goal of the upgrades is to get an additional 20 years out of the existing plant.

The biggest upgrade is an $8.45 million change in how the city would treat its sludge. Mayor Sam Cooper said the city will be changing the way the plant processes sludge and how it’s disposed of.

Under GHD’s proposal, the city will move from a Class B or liquid sludge, to a Class A, or dried sludge. The city will need a new building at the plant to process sludge and drain the liquid. An onsite storage facility is also needed. Rehoboth disposes of its sludge by injecting it at a farm north of Milford. After the switch to dried sludge, Cooper said, the plan is to give away the material to landscapers.

The new process will pasteurize the sludge, killing any pathogens. The material that goes into the system will be pre-thickened, before being moved via a conveyor to a gas-powered dryer, which then evaporates the water in the sludge and produces a powdery solid that can be used on gardens and landscaping.

Besides the new sludge treatment building, other changes include new electrical equipment and filtration system. The plant needs a new transformer and upgrades to the breakers, both of which suffer from corrosion and a lack of available replacement parts. The proposal also calls for a new, diesel-powered backup power generator.

The planned upgrades would move the plant away from microscreen filters to a new cloth-filter system. The microscreens are at the end of their useful life, and the parts are hard to get. Cloth filters can be put into the extisting facility at minimal cost. The filters serve as the plant’s last line of defense.

The plant upgrades is separate from the ocean outfall project. Each project is estimated to cost $25 million, but the outfall project will be funded by a loan from the state’s Clean Water Revolving Fund.

The plant upgrades are expected to begin in the next 18 months and take two years to complete.

Odors from Newberry’s wastewater treatment plant have become increasingly worse in the last couple of months.

According to the city’s utility director, Blaine Suggs, the foul odor is coming from an effluent storage pond. The pond has been covered in a growth of duckweed, which has caused the pond to become stagnant. Duckweed is a plant that grows on the surface of the water and causes problems in ponds because it essentially seals the pond from sunlight, preventing oxygenation.

Suggs said that the city’s utilities department is working with William T. Haller of the UF IFAS Aquatic Center to apply a herbicide to kill the duckweed.

Air diffusers will be installed at the bottom of the pond to help with stagnation and remove the muck from the bottom of the pond. Suggs said that once the diffusers are installed, there may be a noticeable increase in the pungent smell for about a week. Biological microbes may be introduced to combat the muck accumulation.

If everything goes as planned, there should be a noticeable improvement within the next two weeks and the odors should subside.

As of July 1, residents of Elmhurst will be paying $5.12 per thousand gallons of water used for sewer services following the City Council's vote to increase rates.

The city's Finance, Council Affairs and Administrative Services Committee recommended the increase to fund some major wastewater system projects including work on a force main and lift station, as well as upgrades to the sludge storage pad.

Stormwater subcommittees are currently finalizing their recommendations for dealing with chronic flooding problems in some areas of the city. City Manager Jim Grabowski said those subcommittees would be presenting their findings in the next few months.

The county board agreed recently to start the process to build a new wastewater treatment plant. It will pay American Structurepoint Inc. $16,900 to evaluate, develop a conceptual design and help the board through the process of selecting the best option.

A representative from American Structurepoint prepared documents regarding whether the current plant should be evaluated or designs for a new plant needed to be reviewed. "Honestly, I don’t think your money would be best spent evaluating the old plant," she said. "It is on its last leg, you might get a year or two out of it."

The current system is a steel plant and was built in 1986. The life expectancy of a steel facility is about 30 years. The cost of a new treatment plant will run about $400,000.

It should take about one year for a new plant to be completed.

While city commissioners liked a bid that came in $1 million lower than everyone else's on a sewer system, they were suspicious.

The city received separate bids for its wastewater treatment plant and sewer collection system. The treatment plant low bid came in at $1.9 million right at what the city's engineer's projected. But the low bid for a sewer collection system to be built on the city's east side came in at $5.298 million, and the engineer's original estimate was closer to $6 million. The bid is 20 percent lower and commissioners are concerned.

City Manager Amy Arrington said the low bidder, Inter County Engineering, had done smaller jobs in the past but references checked out. "Reiss Engineering talked to them, and they stand by their bid," she said.

The city Attorney said he'd never seen such wide spread in bids.

Arrington said the next closest bid was $6.389 million. Arrington said she would be sending the bids to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their approval.

That department is providing $4.9 million in loans and a $2.3 million grant to fund the project.

Gov. Steve Beshear recently joined Congressman Ben Chandler and other state and local officials to announce a comprehensive upgrade to the wastewater treatment plants in the cities of Stanton and Clay City in Powell County. The project will combine the two existing Stanton and Clay City plants into one expanded plant in Stanton.

The Kentucky Department for Local Government (DLG) has committed nearly $3.75 million in combined funding sources to help support this new project. Overall, more than $13 million in combined state and federal funding sources will be utilized to complete the wastewater treatment plants’ expansion and upgrades.

"The increased wastewater capacity this project provides will not only alleviate environmental and public health concerns, it will also provide the opportunity for local leaders to help encourage new and expanded business creation in Powell County," Beshear said.

Both the cities of Stanton and Clay City have existing treatment plants that are operating under enforcement actions from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet for wastewater flows that exceed the rated treatment capacity of both wastewater treatment plants. The enforcement actions have made it nearly impossible for local leadership to bring new employers into the county, as the existing sewer infrastructure will not support growth or additional sewage flow.

This project will expand Stanton’s plant, decommission Clay City’s operation and combine both into the expanded plant, rather than continue to operate two treatment plants. This will eliminate the Cabinet’s enforcement actions and allow for potential economic growth in the area.

More specifically, the funding will go toward the expansion and upgrade of the existing Stanton wastewater treatment plant, the installation of a new pump station in Clay City, the installation of a force main to handle pumping sewage from Clay City to Stanton, and the construction of a an administrative laboratory and electrical building at the Stanton plant site. Both cities will continue to own and operate their respective sewage collection systems.

The DLG-administered funding sources include a $2 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), $1.14 million in CDBG disaster recovery funds, a $600,000 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant and $500,000 from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA). Additional funding includes a $4.9 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Loan, $2.5 million from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and a $1.42 million USDA Rural Development Grant.

Soon Bossier City residents could stop being bothered by unpleasant odors emanating from the city's wastewater treatment plant. Construction of a state-of-the-art facility next to the existing Red River plant is expected to start in late July.

In addition to being more efficient, the new plant will reduce the odor issues Bossier City has had in the past, Mayor Lorenz Walker says. "We're told the new plant should have a 95 percent or better reduction in odors coming out."

The new plant is part of a larger project to upgrade both of the city's wastewater treatment facilities, Public Utilities Director Jeffery Anderson said.

The cost of the new plant is $60 million and will take nearly three years to complete.

This month Max Foot Construction Co. was awarded the single contract for both projects. It will be paid $58.5 million to rehabilitate and expand the two facilities and $1.4 million to dispose of sludge and grit from the Red River plant and demolish certain areas.

Officials in Maryland have continued to show their commitment to improving the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay by allocating $37 million in state grants for improvements to wastewater treatment plants and septic systems.

The approval by the Board of Public Works will disperse funds to a number of projects within the state and includes a $13 million grant to Baltimore’s Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest facility in the state. The Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant, also in Baltimore, is to receive state funding as will wastewater plants in New Windsor and Emmitsburg.

The Bay Restoration Fund (BRF) will be providing some of the funding for these projects, with an agreed appropriation of $14.9 million from the fund. Originally signed into state law in 2004, the intention of the BRF has been to provide money to arrest the decline of water quality in the bay which has been linked to nutrient enrichment as a result of effluent from wastewater treatment plants.

During the 2012 legislative session, Maryland lawmakers increased the monthly fee due from residents served by wastewater plants that disperse into the bay to $5 per month. This seemingly small figure brings in $100 million in revenue for the state, money which is used to continue funding for bay restoration.

The operators of Grand Haven’s Wastewater Treatment Plant now have a possible solution for the facility’s odor problems. A multi-million dollar project would pay to cover the wastewater at the Washington Avenue plant and build a new facility to treat the smell.

Three million gallons of sewage are processed everyday at the nearby wastewater treatment plant.

Plant Superintendent John Stuparits admits the smell is especially bad in the summer. Stuparits says the $2.5 million project would cover the open areas of wastewater and pay for a new building housing odor-eating microorganisms. "Instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, we'll capture those odors and treat them biologically," says Stuparits.

The communities that use the treatment plant are expected to decide on the plan in the next two weeks. If approved, construction could start in early spring.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded the Boone County Regional Sewer District a $1.36 million low-interest loan to extend and make necessary upgrades to its wastewater treatment system. Funding for this loan comes from the Missouri Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Fund.

The sewer district will use the loan for two wastewater improvement projects. The Rayfield Sanitary Sewer project will include replacing a sewer system, installing a new lift station and force main and closing the Rayfield lagoon. The second project is a joint project with the city of Columbia that includes extending a gravity sewer pipe and eliminating an aging pump station and wastewater treatment plant in order to provide sewer service to Battle High School, which is the city's newest public high school.

A portion of the funding will be targeted toward green infrastructure, wastewater and energy efficiency, and environmentally innovative projects.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has awarded the Northeast Public Sewer District in Jefferson County a $12 million low-interest loan for wastewater treatment projects.

The district will use the loan for a multi-phased project intended to regionalizing the service area by eliminating seven of the district's wastewater treatment plants and redirecting the flows to the Saline Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Another purpose of the project is to eliminate a major source of inflow and infiltration, stormwater runoff and groundwater that make their way into sanitary sewer pipes and get treated, unnecessarily, at wastewater treatment plants.

For more information contact the Department's Water Protection Program, Financial Assistance Center, visit the department's website at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/srf .

A representative of Miller and Associates gave the Lexington City Council a look at what is planned for the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The treatment plant will be expanded and improved at a cost of as much as $5 million. The project will be completed in two phases.

City Manager Joe Pepplitsch said the expansion will accommodate at least 20 percent population growth and will benefit Lexington residents for more than 40 years. A new laboratory and administration building, expanded aeration basins, and expanded final clarifiers are included in the plans.

No date was set to start the project.

Hillsborough’s town board approved the fiscal year 2012-2013 budget at it, June 11, meeting, passing a property tax increase as well as raises in water and sewer fees.

The approximately $7.3 million water and sewer fund saw a 5 percent increase from last fiscal year, a jump that covers not only operating expenses but also sets money aside in preparation for the first debt payment in fiscal year 2015 on the $19.2 million wastewater treatment plant upgrade project. Also this fiscal year, the town paid its first $174,000 debt payment on $1.55 million worth of water and sewer improvement projects.

The main reason for the hikes is the expansion of the 35-year-old wastewater treatment plant, which is necessary to stay in line with stricter state regulations. A $1.46 million annual debt payment will begin in fiscal year 2015, more than doubling the plant’s current budget.

The Marietta city council recently gave final approval for the purchase of an odor-reducing chemical to be used at the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

Council appropriated $75,000 to purchase the chemical VX-456 from Siemens Industry of Dallas, TX, that significantly reduced the odor that has emanated from the treatment plant since part of its sludge-processing system failed two years ago.

Last month the city authorized a two-week test to see if the chemical would help with the odor control.

"I've talked with one of the business owners from that area, and they estimated a 90 percent improvement in the air quality during the test period," said a Councilman.

In January 2010 the wastewater plant's anaerobic digestion system which controls odors from the plant’s sludge dewatering process suddenly failed. Since then the sewer plant odor has been a cause of concern for businesses near the facility, including at least five restaurants and two motels, as well as several stores.

The $75,000 will cover purchase of the VX-456 for the next year, and comes out of the approximately $500,000 insurance settlement stemming from the anaerobic system failure.

Norman City council members have approved a design contract for an expansion and improvements to the southside wastewater treatment plant but say a rate hike may be needed to pay for the project.

The southside plant is rapidly approaching its capacity, Utilities Director Ken Komiske said. A $3.6 million design contract awarded last week to Garver LLC is a first step in making improvements that would increase the capacity of the plant to meet the needs of a growing city population, he said. To pay for the expansion, Komiske said, the city probably will ask voters to approve a rate hike by next year.

The southside plant and the eventual need for a northside wastewater treatment plant were discussed at a recent city council meeting.

Recently, another milestone was reached when Ardmore received word the Oklahoma Water Resources Board considers the city eligible for funding in a multi-million dollar project to construct a new wastewater treatment plant. The letter is not a commitment of assistance but it indicated a letter of binding commitment is forthcoming.

The next significant step in the process of securing the wastewater treatment plant will be a public hearing on July 16 to discuss an environmental assessment. A representative of Garver Engineering will be present at the meeting.

The cost of the project would begin to come into focus as the city begins bidding out on the plant. According to the engineering report, which was approved by the Department of Environmental Quality and reviewed by the OWRB, construction is slated to begin on October 1, 2012.

Sealed proposals will be received by the North Londonderry Township Authority Thursday, July 12, 2012, for procurement of wastewater treatment plant laboratory equipment and supplies in accordance with the Contract Documents.

The work shall include procurement of wastewater treatment plant laboratory equipment, chemicals, glassware and miscellaneous supplies.

For more information go to:

http://pa.mypublicnotices.com/PublicNotice.asp?Page=PublicNotice&AdId=2810751

On the outskirts of Big Springs workers have spent the past few weeks putting a roof on a facility that will, when it begins operating this year, become perhaps the first plant in the nation to process wastewater to put into a drinking water system.

Experts say such use of wastewater, a drought-proof resource, provides a key part of the water solution for fast-growing, drought-prone Texas.

"Reclaimed water provides a little less than 3 percent of Texas' water supply, often for purposes like irrigating golf courses. The figure is projected to rise to 10 percent by 2060, according to the Texas Water Development Board.

Reclaimed water "is a way to stretch our existing supplies and potentially avoid expensive infrastructure projects," said Myron Hess, the manager of the Texas water program for the National Wildlife Federation. Putting potable water on grass is especially wasteful, environmentalists say.

When cities do not reclaim their wastewater, which also is called effluent, it generally gets dumped into creeks and rivers. Austin, for example, puts its effluent into the Colorado River, and wastewater from Dallas goes into the Trinity River (which ultimately helps supply water to Houston).

The Big Spring facility, being built by the Colorado River Municipal Water District, which supplies water to perpetually dry Permian Basin cities such as Midland, Odessa and San Angelo. The $12 million plant will take wastewater from a treatment plant, put it through a membrane, disinfect it and then send it into water pipes. There, it will blend with water coming from reservoirs, head through a regular water treatment plant and finally emerge out of taps.

The plant is expected to begin operating at the end of this year, said John Grant, the water district's general manager, and it will send 1.5 to 2 MGD of water into the drinking water system — a small fraction of the district's total daily supply, of about 36 MGD.

Despite the challenge, across Texas, the systems are growing fast. In Austin, reclaimed water accounted for 2.6 percent of total water use last year, according to a spokesman for the Austin Water Utility, who said the reclaimed system has been growing at a rate of 5 percent to 8 percent per year.

In El Paso, which gets 10 inches of rain per year, reclaimed water accounts for 6 percent of supply, and the local water utility plans to increase that to 15 percent over the next decade.

Because of odor complaints from homeowners near the Lake Pointe wastewater treatment plant, the West Travis County Public Utility Agency (PUA) is planning to revamp the plant’s air filtration system.

Engineers say they believe part of a filter may need to be replaced that Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) installed when it owned the facility.

"It’s being studied to see what’s the most economical and efficient way to upgrade the filter system," said George Murfee, PUA consultant and president of Murfee Engineering.

The air filter uses a carbon media to filter odorous air originating from the plant. LCRA, which recently sold wastewater systems to the public agency, rented the carbon filter from Siemens.

"Since taking over operational control, it has become apparent that many items of maintenance had either lapsed or were not being handled in the proper manner," PUA president Larry Fox said. "The PUA and Severn Trent are working hard to identify operational deficiencies and to correct them."

Severn Trent Environmental Services operates the water and wastewater system and handles billing services as contracted by the PUA.

The filter has likely not been replaced in two or more years, PUA general manager Don Rauschuber said. "The carbon filter will help mitigate odors, if it is properly maintained," Rauschuber explained.

At their June meeting, agency board members approved a one-year service agreement with Siemens to continue renting the filter.

Construction of the Bohls wastewater plant is not yet under way, but five bids have been received for construction of the 100-acre-foot effluent storage pond and lift station, which is the first phase of the project.

The board is set to consider awarding a construction contract for the treated effluent pond at the PUA’s meeting June 21and the board will likely be asked to approve a notice to proceed with construction at the July 12 meeting.

Murfee Engineering has commenced design on the 325,000 gallon-per-day plant, which is slated for completion in early 2014.

The largest Hurricane Ike recovery project is now underway in Galveston.

The project will replace Galveston Island's main wastewater treatment plant. A groundbreaking ceremony was held recently on the island's new $75 million wastewater plant. The facility will replace the old plant which was damaged after Ike. The plant suffered a complete failure and was out of service for six days.

"We're building it on the exact site of the old one that works now. The new one will be resilient and will withstand the next hurricane and will withstand the next flood and it will withstand a 500 year storm," said Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

The wastewater treatment plant will serve about 70 percent of Galveston Island. Those entities served by the plant include UTMB, the Port of Galveston and wharves, and a majority of public schools.

Bids are due July 19, 2012 for an expansion project at the C-N-W Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant.

For more information go to: http://www.headlineva.com/index.php/public_notices/notice/ADVERTISEMENT_FOR_BIDS_C-N-W_Regional_Waste_Water_Treatment_Authority_P._O./

The Martinsburg City Council recently approved a 10-year Capital Improvements Plan for the city's new wastewater treatment plant and sanitary sewer system.

Senate Bill 245 was passed by the West Virginia Legislature in 2011 to help pay for upgrades to sewer treatment plants in the greater eight-county Eastern Panhandle as part of the Chesapeake Bay restoration program. The bill sets aside surplus lottery funds to finance bonds that will cover about 40 percent of the treatment plant improvements to meet new pollution limits.

While Martinsburg's current sewer treatment plant complies with its existing permit, the new sewer treatment plant will greatly reduce the amount of nutrients discharged by the city's sewer system, meeting the much more strict EPA pollution limits.

Total estimated cost for Martinsburg's new plant is about $47 million.

The 10-year CIP was prepared by O'Brien & Gere Engineers Inc., of Bowie, MD, which won the bid to design the plant.

In addition to improvements to the sewer treatment plant, the plan includes a 10-year plan to improve the city's sewer collection system by doing an evaluation survey, developing a hydraulic model of the system and replacing or rehabilitating about two miles of sewer main a year.

Steve Knipe, director of the city's water and sewer department, told council members the plan would be updated regularly. Also at the meeting, council members approved an application for about $2 million to pay for the design of the new sewer plant. It must be operational by Dec. 31, 2015.

The results of a wetland boundary study have made it possible for the Christmas Mountain Sanitary District to proceed with an estimated $500,000 project to update its wastewater treatment plant and add another method of discharging effluent.

The district will still use a drip and spray system to release effluent, or treated wastewater, from the treatment plant. The new method of discharge will be used in conjunction with the other two methods and, according to Christmas Mountain Sanitary District President Lynn Eberl, the newest method will handle about 40 percent of the effluent generated in the district.

Eberl said even if DNR regulations interfere with the continued use of the drip and spray irrigation that at least the district would have some of its effluent discharge needs met with the newest project.

The cost of the new discharge is about $200,000. The cost of other needed improvements to the wastewater treatment facility is about $300,000.

The commission voted to move forward with obtaining DNR approval of the plan and to start the bidding and financing of the project. Action at the next board meeting will require approval of an application for financing and a bid opening. The district plans to borrow the approximate $500,000 from the Clean Water Fund run by the DNR.

Construction should start in September and be completed by May 2013.

In June the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality issued the latest in a string of violation notices dating back to 2009 to the town of Moorcroft for sewage not meeting state standards before being discharged.

In a letter dated June 1, the DEQ says the town’s wastewater treatment facility is not properly eliminating bacteria and chlorine before discharging the water into Rush Creek, a tributary of the Belle Fourche River. Monitoring reports submitted by Moorcroft show excessive amounts of chlorine and E. coli in the discharged water, the letter says.

According to the notice of violation, Moorcroft first received letters of violation in 2009. "Since that time there have been regular exceedances of permit limits for total residual chlorine, E. coli, and other parameters," the notice said.

If it doesn’t appeal, the town has 30 days to create a plan for how it will address the issues, including a timeline for getting back into compliance, said John Wagner, administrator for water quality with the DEQ.

The June 1 notice said the plan should address operation and maintenance of the gas chlorination system, the identification of the cause of excessive E. coli, any modifications to plant design or operations needed to bring the plant into consistent compliance, and a timetable for implementation.

Bids are due July 12, 2012 for the New Kirkland Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.

For more information go to: www.h2bid.com/procurement-notice-165949.html