City consultants recommend expanding Lake Wales wastewater plant; estimate $55 million for first phase

City of Lake Wales officials heard a presentation on a wastewater and reclaimed‑water master plan that recommended expanding the existing wastewater treatment plant to meet projected growth.

The master plan presented three alternatives and recommended “Alternative 1” — retaining the current biological treatment process and adding tankage — as the most cost‑effective approach for the next 20 years. Jamieson Tondrow, project manager for Kimley‑Horn, said that phase 1 preliminary probable cost was closer to $55 million and that phase 1 would raise capacity to about 3.6 million gallons per day (MGD) from the current plant capacity of about 2.19 MGD.

The recommendation matters because current average flows are roughly 1.2 MGD, the consultants said, and projected 20‑year flows are about 3.6 MGD. With known development the planning team estimated full build‑out needs between about 4.5 and 4.6 MGD, which would require a second phase of additional improvements.

Consultants outlined three alternatives. Alternative 1 keeps…