Officials Review WPCA Facility Draft

March 4, 2010 by Josh Morgan

A few million dollars have been shaved off early estimates to upgrade the waste water treatment plant, but the overall project is still expected to cost north of $30 million.
A draft version of the facilities plan was turned over to the Water Pollution Control Authority recently by long time WPCA consultant AECOM, formerly named Metcalf and Eddy. According to Treatment Plant Supervisor Dennis Dievert, the first estimates for a new plant were approximately $36 million, but now that the draft has been submitted, "the ceiling is about $33 million."
"We still have to work on this," Dievert said. "We still need to come up with a more accurate number."
Dievert said the ceiling number is important because, depending on what the WPCA decides to do with the facilities plan, it wouldn't go any higher but most certainly could drop. Some parts of the plan have two or three options, each with their own costs, and it will be up to the WPCA to determine what's in the best long-term interest of the Town. As an example, Dievert explained that, currently, the plant operates two large grinders to break down solids so they can flow through the system. In the facilities plan, there is an option to replace the grinders with bar racks that would collect the material and remove it from the system, keeping it out of the pumps and tanks.
"There's a cost to that," he said. "That is just one of many (options) within the plan. And that's what is is right now, it's still a plan, not a design."
John Attwood, WPCA chairman, said that, as the Authority goes through the plan, it will look at all options and determine what is needed and what would be considered a “want.” He indicated that there would be items that absolutely had to be done, but he wants to go through the facilities plan "line by line."
"We are making renovations to the plant and, if you think of this as a locker room, do we just do a locker room, or make it the New York Yankees locker room?" Attwood asked. "There will be options, and maybe we could make cuts and remove excess expenses."
On March 10, Dievert said the WPCA will hold a workshop where AECOME will discuss the draft facilities plan and the public could learn more about the future of the plant. Dievert remarked that the workshop would give the "full flavor" of the project.
"We'll discuss what the plan is comprised of, its different parts, what we have now and what we have to replace," he said. "We want to give a good idea of where we're going and why we're heading that way."
Attwood said the plant upgrade was "one of the biggest projects in town" and he wants everyone to understand what the implications are with the project. This is not an expansion of the plant, rather an upgrade of outdated and inefficient equipment, he explained, so there is a limit to where sewers can go and how much capacity is left at the facility.
"We'll spend a lot more money if we have to build a new plant," Attwood said. "As long as the WPCA and other boards follow a plan, we won't need to expand."
The biggest component, estimated to cost roughly $6 million alone, are new phosphorus removal aspects at the plant. The Department of Environmental Protection and Environmental Protection Agency are requiring that certain towns further reduce their phosphorus discharge from treatment plants. While permits are still being issued for the removal, Dievert said the more phosphorus that has to be removed, the more costly the process.
"As the phosphorus parameters get lower, the treatment gets more complex and more expensive," Dievert said. "We're on a list for state funding so, hopefully, we'll be higher up on the priority list. There's only so much money to go around, but with these imposed phosphorus limits, I hope we'll have some leverage."
Attwood acknowledged that, even without the phosphorus aspects to the plant, it would still need to be upgraded and parts would need to be replaced.
While there is no official timetable, Attwood hopes to enter a design phase within the next 12 months and to start working towards the upgrades. His goal is to look at the plant like it is his house, he stated, and operate within a budget to find out what needs to be done.
"We have questions: what is an absolute need, what are the wants, and what is a need not today, but will be one in the future," Attwood said. "No one wants to spend any money unnecessarily, but, on the other hand, we don't want to avoid it now and pay more later."
The WPCA workshop is on Wednesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. in Town Hall.