Batavia wastewater-plant rehabilitation near complete after nearly $45 million in spending

Jerry Ruth of Trotter and Associates told the Batavia City Council on May 4 that the city's wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation has reached substantial completion, with remaining punch-list and site-restoration work still underway.

"Total spent to date, just under $44,800,000 including engineering and construction," Ruth said during a photo-and-schedule update. He reported one remaining change order that staff expects to finalize and said the project should remain below a 1% change-order threshold.

Ruth summarized visible changes at the plant since December, including four new primary clarifiers, a replaced UV disinfection structure, and new headworks. He said some landscaping and final site restoration were delayed by seasonal planting windows but are being completed.

Mayor (speaking during follow-up remarks) credited federal support for enabling the scope of the project, saying the city had secured roughly $37 million in federal funding to help pay for the work. He also noted that mayors from nearby suburban municipalities plan to visit the site on May 12 to see the retrofit and the bike-path integration.

The consultant said the contractor achieved substantial completion and that final completion is now anticipated just ahead of the original schedule. Ruth said photos taken last Friday showed the transformed site and that punch-list items and a small amount of final change-order work remain.

What happens next: staff will finalize the remaining change order, complete the site-restoration and landscaping when conditions permit, and submit the final change-order paperwork to the council as required. Council members asked no technical questions in the meeting record; follow-up coordination and one final administrative change order were noted.

Sources and evidence: presentation and exchanges on May 4, 2026, with the consultant (Jerry Ruth) and mayor remarks.