Hamilton village officials and representatives from the Rochester-based MRB Group celebrated the completion of a $13.4 million improvement project at the village Wastewater Treatment Plant Nov. 19 with a ribbon cutting ceremony amid the treatment tanks.
Village mayor RuthAnn Loveless explained the project was mandated by the state - a “major, major project” with major issues along the way, she said – and she was glad to finally attend the ribbon cutting marking its completion.
Loveless acknowledged acting village administrator and attorney Jim Stokes and village administrative assistant Nancy Mitchell as the driving forces in completing the project.
“It is very satisfying to finally be able to bring this to the community,” Stokes said at the ribbon cutting.
“It has been a very interesting project right from the beginning to the end,” Mitchell added.
Joining them at the ribbon cutting from the village were Wastewater Treatment Plant supervisor David Jordan and Municipal Utilities Commission president John Basher. Representing the Rochester-based engineering, architecture and surveying firm MRB Group were director of water resources engineering William Davis and business development coordinator Laurel Schulze.
According to MRB Group documents offered by Davis, the project was tasked by New York State thanks to major changes in levels permitted by the state Pollution Discharge Elimination System and increases in effluent requirements due to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load in an effort to address the polluted water situation.
Water leaves the Hamilton plant via Payne Brook and travels to the Chenango River to the Susquehanna River and finally the Chesapeake Bay.
The Hamilton WWTP was meeting its permit limits for several years before that but with the new effluent rules the plant would be limited to only the current flow at the time and not have the capacity for future growth. The new design at the WWTP provides for new increased output and gives the system the opportunity to expand in the future to meet the needs of a growing Hamilton.
Construction at the WWTP began four years ago. Major improvements included the conversion of existing aeration basins to Sequencing Batch Reactor basins and the construction of two new SBR basins; the retrofit of existing sand filters with tertiary disc filtration units; a new ultraviolet disinfection system and post aeration; the conversion of the existing final settling tanks to new aerobic digesters; and a new belt filter press and sludge drying building.
The original total project cost was expected to be $13.5 million but it ended up coming in at $13.4 million. After grant funding, the village financed around $9 million at zero percent interest. Funding was secured through the state Environmental Facilities Corporation including $100,000 and $1 million from the Water Quality Improvement Program and $3,075,000 from the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act.
Contractors included M Hubbard Construction, Diekow Electric, King & King Mechanical, HJ Brandeles and Jade Stone.
Davis thanked all of the contractors who came out and all of the operators for their patience as the project came along slowly but surely.
“It’s been a long project but I think it came out really well,” he said. “This will allow for the capacity of the village to continue to grow into the future.”
Mike Jaquays is the managing editor for the Mid-York Weekly. For unlimited access to his stories, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email Mike Jaquays at mjaquays@gannett.com.