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Town manager says odors at Scarborough wastewater plant reduced; engineering and cost estimates for coverings presented
Summary
Town Manager Jim Tierney told the council the odor at the Scarborough wastewater treatment facility has been significantly reduced and presented rough vendor estimates for covering parts of the plant; his office said formal engineering design and an RFP for design services will be required before work proceeds.
Town Manager Jim Tierney told the Narragansett Town Council on Oct. 20 that odor emissions at the Scarborough wastewater treatment facility have been significantly reduced and that the town continues negotiations with the University of Rhode Island on the regional wastewater agreement.
Tierney said crews have been jet‑spraying pipes and clearing outfalls and basins at the Boston Neck Road/Narragansett Avenue flood site and that odor‑mitigation equipment currently in use — including odor neutralizing cannons — has been working well. He said staff are monitoring hydrogen sulfide with a gas detector as part of ongoing operations.
The manager presented multiple preliminary cost estimates for structural covers on portions of the plant: vendor ranges discussed included ditch‑covering estimates in the low‑to‑mid millions and headworks/building coverings with lower six‑figure to mid‑six‑figure estimates. Tierney emphasized the figures discussed were rough vendor estimates only and do not replace a formal engineering design. “These are simply numbers for structures… these rough estimates do not always take into consideration the design of the project, which would be required before we did anything,” Tierney said.
Tierney said the town would need to advertise an RFP for an engineering firm to prepare a design that would ensure coverings do not interfere with treatment operations. He also said the town has received two vendor estimates and was waiting on a third; once the third estimate is received and the state Department of Environmental Management returns the facilities plan, staff will provide a recommended path forward to the council.
Councilors asked for clarification on options such as enclosed headworks with carbon filtration and on whether the estimates accounted for contingency and structural types (steel versus solid building). Tierney said the vendor quotes varied by structure type and contingency assumptions, and that additional study is required to refine costs and approach.
The council did not vote on capital funding at the meeting. Tierney said staff would return with a final recommendation and more complete cost and design information once the remaining estimate and the DEM facilities plan were available.
