Nic Rowan/Collegian
Hillsdale’s wastewater treatment plant is on schedule to complete a three-year repair project through the use of a $300,000 loan by mid-September or early-October, according to Board of Public Utilities Interim Director Chris MacArthur.
The loan, unanimously approved at the March 5 city council meeting, will help offset unexpected costs encountered during the project, MacArthur said. The loan will be repaid to the electric department in five years.
The additional expenses were largely due to the condition of the digester, a component of the wastewater treatment system that helps produce clean water, recover nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, and can serve as a source for energy production.
“Obviously, before the project, there was no way to take that out and see how the internals looked,” MacArthur said. “Once we did, we discovered more damage than we thought would be on the piping. In turn, that cost more money. There were just some unforeseen road bumps.”
For example, the gas piping that connected to the digester was compromised, and replacing the stainless steel pipes cost approximately $60,527. Other costs included removal of contaminated groundwater, MacArthur said. The proposed project changes were unanimously approved by the city council, and City Manager David Mackie reviewed the individual project change orders, according to the city council meeting packet.
The digester, and the wastewater treatment plant help process wastewater for nearly 4,000 homes and businesses in the city of Hillsdale, according to the BPU website.
Mackie said city staff worked with the contractor to minimize project expenses, and MacArthur said part of the contractor’s concern that as-built drawings were unavailable at the beginning of the project. According to city council documents, Councilman Greg Stuchell said some of the changes should have been anticipated by the contractor at the project’s onset and included in the contractor’s estimate.
“These kinds of things happen,” MacArthur said. “They’re unforeseen, but we’ll get through it and complete the project.”
