County outlines timeline and fixes for Albany County Water Purification Plant; mixing-system replacement and odor study planned

Albany County staff provided a detailed update to the Conservation, Sustainability and Green Initiative Committee on March 24 about a multi-year sludge-processing improvement project at the Albany County Water Purification Treatment Plant, including the causes of persistent odors, funding sources and a planned schedule to complete design and begin construction.

County staff said the county first requested a modification to a consent order with state regulators in September 2021 and submitted five iterations of a preliminary engineering report (PER) between 2022 and March 14, 2025. "On March 28th of '25, that report and that project was ultimately approved by both DEEC and EFC," a presenter told the committee, allowing the county to progress to engineering design.

Staff outlined a design timeline aimed at completing a basis-of-design report by the end of the current month and submitting full design drawings and specifications by June 19, 2026, with the goal of finishing reviews by Q3 2026. Bidding would follow, with construction expected to begin in early 2027 and continue into 2029. EFC financing is scheduled to close in July; staff said ARPA funds have been used to advance engineering with the expectation that EFC funds and other grants will finance construction.

Officials…