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Town staff: New wastewater plant seeded; $40M CIP presented ahead of BOMA review
Summary
Utility staff told the Thompson's Station Utility Board the town seeded its new membrane bioreactor (MBR) this week and previewed a roughly $40 million wastewater capital-improvement plan funded largely by developer impact fees; staff agreed to refine drip-field acreage figures and added one wastewater position in the proposed budget.
Staff members presented the town's wastewater capital-improvement plan and operational updates at the Thompson's Station Utility Board meeting. The CIP will go to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for a first reading in May, and staff asked board members to review the draft and raise questions.
An agency official reported: "We seeded the plant today, put the sludge in the new MBR," and said limited processing would begin within days to test equipment and plant response. Staff and the project presenter said the plant was "up and running as of this week" and expected to be fully running by the end of the week, pending the engineer's final qualifications and completion of a short punch list.
The board heard disposal and capacity metrics: the agency official reported regional disposal volumes and said a 7-acre site at Garrett Farms may be operational within two weeks, which would increase disposal capacity. Staff said the Pleasant Creek drip field is installed and contractors are preparing mains and excavating tank holes for the planned 20,000-gallon tanks.
A committee member pushed for clearer reporting on drip-field acreage, asking staff to separate "total acreage" from "usable acreage," so that planning reflects easements and setbacks. Staff agreed to adjust the monthly tracking report to show installed versus usable acreage.
On funding, a committee member summarized the CIP over 4–5 years and said capital equipment would be paid largely from wastewater impact fees paid by developers and from per-permit fees; staff said operations costs (chemicals, electricity, water) are the primary operational concern as the new facility comes online. The proposed budget includes one additional wastewater staff position to support operations, and staff described cross-training among existing operators and vendor support for 24-hour assistance if needed.
Staff also discussed project timelines for the Highway 31 gravity sewer and other upgrades. The presenter said projected substantial completion for the plant work was in April and final completion in May, with a scheduled walk-through to develop a punch list.
The board received a briefing on discharge permitting: modeling work is ongoing and staff said a feasible discharge solution may require substantial pipe work; the analysis will determine whether to proceed to TDEC with a recommended path.
The meeting closed with additional staff and board questions planned to be addressed in monthly updates; staff said they will continue to produce the monthly tracking report even if the board cancels its regular May meeting.
