Eastman Wastewater Upgrade
Eastman wastewater treatment
facility project moving forward
By Ted Pennekamp
In March, the village of Eastman requested approval from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility. Approval has been granted and the project is moving forward.
In fact, Village Clerk Teri Lavendar said that Davy Engineering of La Crosse has been hired and is in the process of surveying and producing plans for potential bidders.
Project Engineer Tom Mathews said that the plans need to be completed by the end of July and that bids will be let in the spring of 2017. He said there is a compliance schedule set by the state and that the project needs to be completed by Jan. 31, 2018.
The village’s treatment facility has historically performed adequately and complied with DNR discharge standards. The facility, however, is approximately 25 years old and various unit treatment processes need to be rehabilitated, replaced and upgraded to accommodate projected future residential growth and help maintain overall system performance reliability over the next 20 years. Also, the village is required to comply with new effluent standards for phosphorus for continued discharge to Pine Creek.
In 2010, Wisconsin enacted a law requiring new phosphorus standards, and Mathews said that the new standards are what is driving the Eastman wastewater treatment facility project. Because of the 2010 phosphorus standards, numerous municipalities throughout Wisconsin will need to upgrade their wastewater treatment facilities when their permits come up, said Mathews.
The proposed project includes an upgrade of the existing wastewater treatment facility including installation of a new influent wastewater screening unit, modifications to the existing treatment tanks to facilitate biological phosphorus reduction, replacement of the existing aeration equipment, replacement of the existing chlorination and dechlorination effluent disinfection unit with a new ultraviolet light disinfection unit and various minor improvements.
The estimated construction cost of the overall project is $649,000. Village Clerk Teri Lavendar said that the village is seeking assistance through the state’s Clean Water Fund Small Loan program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program to help finance the project.
Mathews said that the village will not know until the fall of 2016 how much funding it will receive for this project. Therefore, those portions of the project not involving the phosphorus standards may be scaled back depending upon how much funding the village gets.
“Depending upon funding, some portions of the project may be put off until later,” said Mathews.
The impact on residential user charges will be assessed by the village upon further review of the project costs, revenue needs and overall funding options.
The Eastman wastewater treatment plant is located at 57955 County D north of the village.
Davy Engineering specializes in water and wastewater facilities. Mathews said the company is currently planning for wastewater treatment facilities upgrades in several other communities.
