Wastewater Priority Improvement Plan
The Waste Water Priority Improvement Plan is designed to improve the existing wastewater plants. The two City wastewater plants are 40-year-old round steel plants reaching the end of their useful life. Parts of the plants are breaking and undergoing priority repairs, causing challenges for the nearby residents. The City is starting the complex process of replacing them. The process requires planning, financing, design, and construction, which takes time. This will be one of the most expensive projects the City will undertake and needs to be well thought out and organized. The list below provides the steps and status of the process.
Project Progress
Plan Developed
A plan was developed by the City and Veolia, our plant operator, which included a list of capital repairs needed at the wastewater plants. This included:
Repairs to the steel plants
Improving the aeration system
Installing new screens to keep out debris from the sewers
Repairs to the filters that clean the water
Purchasing a belt press which is used to dewater the solids from the wastewater process
Wastewater Plant Plan Completed
In 2019, the City hired CPH Engineers to prepare a master plan for the plants. The plan was presented in 2020 to provide options for replacing the plants, tentative costs, concerns, and opportunities involved in the project.
Financing
Building new plants could cost as much as $40M or more. This expense means the City must look for options to pay for the project, determine ways to make it more economical, and operate the existing plants while the new plants are being built. The City will be applying for available grants and low-interest loans. As part of the process, other decisions will be made on the type of plant, design, a rate study, and public hearings in 2021. An RFQ is being issued in early 2021 for firms to provide further planning and rate assessment.
Priority Repairs
The existing wastewater plants are old, and many of the components need repair. The City hired CPH Engineers to design the plant's improvements and get them approved by the State. The City is cleaning out the tanks that are currently full of debris. Synagro, a specialty company in wastewater cleaning, is doing the work.
The clean tanks allow SGS Construction to repair the metal and the aeration system inside the tanks. They will also install new screens to prevent the debris from entering the plant, clogging up the facilities. These repairs are to allow treatment to continue. The work is emphasizing the problem in the plants with several unexpected breakdowns. These breakdowns are evident to everyone, residents and wastewater staff alike, in odors around the plant. Work is underway now at both East and West wastewater plants. The anticipated completion date of the repairs is 2021.
Reuse System Expansion
The City has received a grant from the St. Johns River Water Management District to expand the reuse system to serve the Tuskawilla Crossing neighborhood. The developer has installed a separate landscape watering system, which needs to be connected to the reuse system. This will save the potable water currently used. The City has a permit that restricts how much water can be pulled from the ground; this project will maintain that water level. CPH Engineers will be designing the project, which will start in 2021.
New Plant Design
The City cannot begin the new plant designs until all options and financing have been reviewed and selected.
At that time, the City will advertise for firms to be involved in the new plant designs. This process is expected to begin in late 2021 or early 2022.
