Southington Officials Outline Water Treatment Plant Proposal for November Ballot

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Here is an overview of the Southington water pollution control facility upgrade proposal, which will be voted on as part of the November election ballot:

Southington’s sewage treatment plant was originally constructed in 1958 and had its last major upgrade in the early 1980s. In 2008 the town added a Denitrification Facility to remove nitrogen from the wastewater to meet the current DEEP discharge requirements.

This eliminated the State mandate to purchase nitrogen credits costing the Town a total $2.2 million (2003-2010) and enabled the Town to sell nitrogen credits providing approximately $250,000 in revenue (2011-2016).

The DEEP has recently lowered the discharge limit for phosphorous. To meet the new discharge limits the sewage treatment plant needs to be upgraded.

At the same time the plant needs to be overhauled to replace old inefficient pumps and equipment which are approaching 60 years old. Replacement parts for some of the equipment are becoming difficult to obtain and in some instances are no longer available.

The town has hired a consultant Tighe & Bond to evaluate the condition of the existing facility, recommend required equipment repairs and replacements and design a new phosphorous removal system. The cost for all of the recommended work totals $57,100,000.

The town can take advantage of Clean Water Fund grants to offset $17,168,000 of the project costs. In order to qualify for the $17,168,000 grant and a 2% loan for the balance of $39,932,000 the bonding referendum needs to be approved this November.

The approval will allow the town to proceed to final design, advertising and award of the contract to meet the DEEP’s July 2019 deadline. We anticipate it will take 3 years to complete all of the required work.

If the town does not comply with the strict new phosphorous limits by 2022, we will lose the Clean Water Grant Funding estimated to be $17,168,000, the 2% financing for the balance of the project and we may be subject to fines of $37,500 per day or $13,687,500 per year.

Some of the recommended upgrades include:

• A new phosphorous removal system
• A bar screen to remove incoming debris that can clog piping and damage pumps
• Covering raw sewage tanks (aerated grit chamber and 2 primary settling tanks) to eliminate odors for the nearby residents, ball fields, and South End elementary school
• Odor control units to filter odorous air
• Replacing electric motors with smaller efficient units to reduce electricity costs
• Relocating critical disinfection equipment above the 100 year flood elevation
• Repairing deteriorated and cracked concrete tanks
• A computer control and alarm system to monitor equipment and flows, detect issues and notify plant operators of problems

• Construction Cost - $47,760,000
• Engineering Services - $7,410,000
• Interim Financing and Bonding Costs - $1,930,000
• Project Total to be Authorized/Bonded $57,100,000
• (Exclusive of 30 percent design previously bonded)
• Grant funds - ($17,168,000)
• Net Cost to Town p $39,932,000

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does our Water Pollution Control Facility do for our community?
A: It receives and treats raw sewage from homes, businesses, schools, and industrial facilities. The plant operates 24 hours per day 365 days a year and treats approximately 4.5 million gallons of sewage each day. The cleaned and disinfected effluent is released into the Quinnipiac River. The water released into the Quinnipiac is cleaner than the river itself. This protects the environment and protects the public using the river for recreational activities.
Q: Why do we need to upgrade the facility?
A: The DEEP has imposed stricter limits on the amount of phosphorous remaining in the water the town discharges to the river. Phosphorous is a nutrient and can cause algae blooms which in turn can kill the fish and other living organisms in the river. To address this we must build a specialized facility to remove the phosphorous from the wastewater. Additionally the plant was originally constructed in 1958. Much of the equipment, pumps, electric motors are well past their design life. Repair parts are difficult and sometimes impossible to obtain.the water the town discharges to the m,
Q: Will the upgrade help reduce the odors from the Water Pollution Control Facility?
A: Yes. The design includes covers on the open tanks of raw sewage entering the plant. The air above the tanks will be captured and pumped through charcoal filters to remove the odors.
Q: What is the expected useful life of the upgrade?
A: The upgrade will meet the needs of Southington for the next 25 years.
Q: What happens if the referendum does not pass?
A: We will lose the Clean Water Grant

Follow the link below to view an informational video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ddx6Z-ZtrE&feature=youtu.be