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Defiance council approves emergency contract to replace two digester membranes at wastewater plant
Summary
The Defiance City Council on Feb. 11 adopted an emergency ordinance authorizing a contract with Moser Construction of Fremont to replace two digester membranes at the city’s water pollution control plant, with substantial completion expected in May.
The Defiance City Council on Feb. 11, 2025, adopted an emergency ordinance authorizing a contract with Moser Construction of Fremont to replace two digester membranes at the city’s Water Pollution Control plant, council members said.
Council member Mack told the council the outer membrane on one digester tore and caused a collapse of part of the outer structure. Staff solicited bids; the lowest bidder was Moser Construction of Fremont, which submitted a price just under the $90,000 that had been allocated for the replacement. Council approved the ordinance and declared an emergency so work can begin with a substantial completion date in May 2025.
The city’s Water Pollution Control Superintendent, Mark Leonard, described how crews will install the membranes and said the plant will operate on the remaining digester during the work. "We will just run on one digester, but we have plenty of capacity with our sludge holding lagoons," Leonard said, explaining the schedule and capacity plan. Leonard also answered technical questions from Council member Josh Mast about whether plant operations would be disrupted during installation; Leonard said the plant would not experience a service disruption.
Council discussion included the installation method: Leonard explained the two membranes are installed differently — one membrane is floated across the tank with water and bolted down, and the second is placed by crane because it goes over the first membrane. Council members voted to suspend rules and adopt the ordinance during the Feb. 11 meeting.
The council meeting record shows the city anticipates additional, larger wastewater projects this year tied to prior work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including upgrades to septic receiving and headworks equipment (screening and bar racks) that Mack said will likely cost in the millions. The council and staff said Superintendent Leonard will be appearing more frequently at future meetings as those projects move into design and construction.
Votes at a glance: The emergency ordinance authorizing the contract with Moser Construction to replace two digester membranes was adopted by the council during the Feb. 11 meeting. The vote was recorded as unanimous in favor; no opposing or abstaining votes were recorded in the meeting transcript.
