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Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Serving Elkhart County and parts of Noble, LaGrange & Marshall Counties Know Your Neighbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2➤ Speak Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Good Neighbor. . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Vol. 49 No. 14
Goshen (574) 534-2591
134 S. Main, Goshen, Indiana 46526
Goshen Wastewater Treatment Plant
undergoes an upgrade %\ '$9,' +$=/(',1( 6WDII :ULWHU Goshen Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently undergoing a raft of improvements, which will not only make it more efficient, but also protect it from such dangers as flooding, while at the same time reducing the plant’s carbon footprint. Begun in 2020, the construction is expected to be completed in January 2022, at a cost of $19.7 million. Built in 1935, the plant has undergone several expansions over the decades. Secondary treatment and aeration was added in 1961, for example, and automation improvements were made in 2010, to name a few. Then, in 2017, the city contracted with Donohue & Associates to do a study which identified necessary upgrades. In 2018, Goshen City Council approved a steady annual increase in utility rates through 2022 to pay for the project. So what are residents getting for these rate hikes? During plant tours given in March 2021, City Engineer Bryce Gast outlined several. Preliminary treatment improvements to pumps, grit collections system and a vac truck receiving facility come to $2.7 million. Primary treatment improvements, including concrete rehabilitation and a full clarifier rehabilitation are $1.3 million. Aeration system improvements to blowers and mixers, a new aeration tank and four new effluent station pumps is $3.6 million. Solids handling improvements, including a new building for dewatering, sludge pumps, boilers and the filling in of liquid holding pools (something plants across the state are doing to meet new IDEM requirements) come to $5.2 million. Finally, improvements to piping, flood protection, drive and electrical improvements and contractor costs come to $6.2 million. Replacing and upgrading old equipment will increase plant efficiency. Changes will also increase capacity for storing chemicals and treated wastewater.
/22.,1* ,1 *RVKHQ &LW\ 72 7+( )8785( ³ ( IDU ULJKW OHG QJLQHHU %U\FH *DVW WR ZDVWHZDWHU W XUV WKURXJK WKH FLW\·V UHDWPHQW SODQ W SRLQWLQJ RXW ZKHUH XSJUD LQ 0DUFK GHV DQG QHZ FRQVWUXFWLRQ ZLOO LQ WKH RFFXU $IWHU VWDUWLQJ PLOOLRQ H[SHFWHG WR SURMHFW LV EH 3KRWR FRPSOHWH LQ -DQXDU\ SURYLGHG E\ &LW\ RI *RV KHQ Solid handling improvements are particularly important, according to Gast, due to “recent drastic increases” in land application costs — spreading solid waste on fields as fertilizer — is expected to reach $192,000 in 2022, while dewatering in 2022 could be anywhere from $40,000 to $110,000. Additionally, Plant Superintendent Jim Kerezman noted blowers used in the aeration process are one of the “main energy consumption devices.” Automated, variable frequency drives are projected to save the city around 1.25 million kilowatt hours per year, which comes to around $111,000 annually. Kerezman also referred to 2018’s “500 year flood,” which, he said, exposed the plant’s proximity to the river as “too close for comfort.” Employees marked areas which could have been compromised by rising waters, and plant improvements address those areas. Besides closing the lagoons, a berm will be constructed
around a power substation containing two transformers. A pump station will also be placed in the location. Additionally, electrical control panels have been moved to the second floor for protection. Goshen as a whole has become increasingly concerned with reducing its carbon footprint. In fact, a climate action plan was adopted July 6. Treatment plant improvements took these concerns into account as well. Kerezman pointed out the land around the plant requires “a lot of mowing.” This need will soon be eradicated with the planting of naturalized, pollinator friendly landscaping likely featuring native grasses and wildflowers. For more information, visit goshenindiana.org/ utilitiesbilling or call (574) 533-9399.