The City of Hastings is in line for a $9.2 million overhaul of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and the City Council heard a comprehensive report from project engineers with Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.
Douglas Urquhart and Dennis Benoit explained the process at a public hearing on the Project Plan at last week’s council meeting.
The Project Plan is required as a condition of obtaining the project’s funding through a low-interest loan, currently at two percent, from the State’s Revolving Fund administered by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (formerly the MDEQ).
Urquhart gave a project overview of the process the city uses to treat wastewater and the need for improvements. The system lacks in several areas with aging equipment at the facility built in the 1930s, expanded to one million gallons a day in the 1970s and to two million gallons a day in the 1998, with some improvements in 2012.
Three options were possible; leave it as it is, construct new or upgrade the existing WWTP. If left as it is, the lack of redundancy equipment for several processes at the plant could lead to treatment problems or water quality issues in the receiving water. Building new would require a new site and was not considered because of the high cost.
Urquhart discussed each of the steps in the project, listing the expected upgrading to the headworks building, waste sludge pumping and service building, aeration system and walkway improvements, ultra violet disinfection and effluent water system, primary settling tank and thickener, and the building expansion
The proposed schedule calls for submitting the final project plan for prioritization by July 1, approval of plans and specification and project bidding by December. The tentative project award would be in February 2020, with State Revolving Fund closing in March 2020 and construction of projects in 2020 and 2021 and estimated completion in October, 2021.
The project’s cost, including engineering, interest and financials comes to $9,250,000 with an annual debt retirement of $566,750. The additional monthly cost to city residents (600 cf/month) is estimated to be $10.25.
Short term impacts include noise, potential for erosion, and increased traffic; Urquhart said guidelines for vegetation removal, dust and traffic control would be met; soil erosion and sedimentation control, flood plain, wetlands and other environmental permits would be obtained and the access to the Dog Park and RV dump station would be via a new road. Jobs would also be created during construction.
The long term impact are substantial operating improvements; ability to meet required permit limits and avoiding regulatory actions, including fines, and reduce energy and water utility costs, Urquhart said.
Hastings WWTP serves the city and parts of Rutland, Hastings and Carlton townships.
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“We’ve grown to expect and take for granted reliable, high-quality water supply and efficient wastewater collection and treatment,” Hastings City Manager Jeff Mansfield said. “But these are critically important public services, particularly in urban environments.
“We have been planning for the upcoming Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades for several years now. The project will focus on the construction of a “headworks” or primary treatment facility that will remove debris, grit and other materials from the stream of wastewater as it enters the treatment plant.
“These materials impede the treatment process and damage the equipment within the plant itself. The project will also include replacement and/or improvement of a number of the older pieces of equipment at the plant, reducing energy consumption and increasing the efficiency of the treatment process.
“As with any municipal utility, ongoing facility maintenance and improvement programs are required to keep pace with the ever-evolving regulatory requirements that apply to such operations, and to protect the quality of our environment here in Barry County. “
