City prepares for $35.7 million in wastewater collection and facility improvements
Watertown City Council discussed the needs and funding options for $35.7 million worth of wastewater collections and facility improvements during a work session Monday.
With a fast-growing population, new regulations in wastewater treatment and the degradation of a facility built in the 1930s, the city is ready to move forward with a plan to bring some much-needed improvements to the wastewater facility.
A review of the facility was completed in the fall of 2021. That review showed that several parts of the wastewater facility could not wait much longer for improvements and are nearing the end of the useful life of the equipment.
These high-priority improvements include $4.9 million for the primary treatment operations, $3.5 for activated sludge treatment and controls, $6.5 million for the final clarifier systems and $6.1 million for electrical, roadway, drainage and HVAC improvements.
The project is being funded through several sources, including a state revolving fund loan for $19.8 million. This loan will cause an increase of roughly $4 in the residential flat-rate wastewater charge.
Funding is also being provided through the American Rescue Plan Act, with the city providing $3.7 of ARPA funds and the state matching those dollars. There is also $8.5 million available in grant funding.
The wastewater collection improvements will be open for bidding in the spring of 2023 and completed by 2025. Facility improvements will be bid in the fall of 2023 with completion expected by the end of 2026.
Of the $35.7 million planned for the facility, $3.8 million is engineering costs, including $3.7 for design and $99,200 for the bidding. The city council will discuss and potentially approve an engineering contract HDR at the council's Aug. 15 council meeting.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Watertown city council discusses wastewater collection improvements
