Proposed project map for the wastewater collection and treatment system of Seymour.
Submitted map
Funding for improvements of the Seymour wastewater collection and treatment plant system recently was approved by the Seymour City Council.
The State Revolving Fund loan program required a professional engineering report that would detail all needs and cost associated with the project.
The SRF is funding this $12,505,000 project for the improvements of the wastewater collection and treatment plant.
The collection system improvements include installing a new force main to serve Mutton Creek. A force main sewer consists of pipelines that convey wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump to a pump station.
The improvements also will include retiring the existing Pebblebrook lift station and converting it into a manhole. A lift station is used to move wastewater from lower to higher elevation, particularly where the elevation of the source is not sufficient for gravity flow. The manhole will be used as an access point for underground public utility.
Constructing new gravity and pressure sewers to serve remaining areas of the Snyde Acres subdivision will be included in the project, too. Gravity sewers use gravity to convey wastewater from a home to a neighborhood wastewater pump station, where it is then pumped to a wastewater treatment facility.
A pressure sewer provides a method of discharging sewage from properties into a conventional gravity sewer or directly to a wastewater treatment facility.
City Engineer Bernie Hauersperger said it will improve efficacy and reliability of the collection system for adding new customers.
The treatment plant improvements include dewatering improvements and ultraviolet disinfection improvements.
Dewatering is the removal of liquids from sludge in the wastewater. The dewatering improvement will include the installation of belt filter press, a dewatering technique.
Ultraviolet disinfection is a process intended to inactivate human pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, that are present in raw water before receiving proper disinfection.
These upgrades will improve the efficiency of the treatment plant and reduce energy consumption while maintaining effective wastewater treatment, Hauersperger said.
More than $2.4 million will go toward the engineering for both project improvements, and more than $200,000 will be for financial, legal and administration fees.
At $2,053,200, the installation of the belt filter press for dewatering is the most expensive operation among the summary project report.
“Overall, these upgrades will enhance public health and safety while reducing maintenance costs and environmental risks as we continue to grow the community,” Hauersperger said.
Currently, the Mutton Creek project is in construction, and the work can be seen on U.S. 31 just north of U.S. 50.