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Provo officials say new wastewater plant will remove phosphorus under rules taking effect in 2025
Summary
Mayor Michelle Kaufusi and public works staff described a near-term rollout of a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility that will meet new phosphorus-removal regulations, with officials expecting a ribbon-cutting in spring.
Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi said the city will bring a new wastewater treatment facility online to remove phosphorus from effluent to comply with regulations that take effect in January 2025.
Kaufusi said the project has been years in the making and that city staff and outside visitors have praised the planned facility. Public Works Director Gordon Haight explained the technical purpose: “A wastewater treatment facility takes municipal sewage, basically what comes from your toilets, sinks, drains, and cleans it so that it can be rereleased to the environment.” He added the new regulations will limit phosphorus because it contributes to harmful algal blooms in Utah Lake.
Kaufusi and Haight said the plant will reduce the city’s contribution to nutrient loads entering Utah Lake; Kaufusi said she hopes for a spring ribbon cutting and that teams from other countries visited to study the system. Haight cautioned the city’s plant “won’t stop the bloom on Utah Lake” because multiple wastewater plants and other factors affect the lake’s condition, but he said the Provo plant “won’t be adding to the problem.”
Officials emphasized compliance and public tours once equipment and staff training are complete. No final project cost or exact opening date was specified in the meeting.
Provenance: Comments about the facility and the January 2025 regulation appeared in the meeting presentation and Q&A with mayor and public works staff.
