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City manager: digester cleaning and repairs at Wheeling water plant to cost up to $2 million; odor expected during removal
Summary
City Manager Mr. Herring told council the water treatment plant is undergoing digester cleaning and repairs: sludge removal is estimated at $500,000 $600,000 and digester repairs about $1.4 million; a temporary screw press rental was approved and a permanent screw press will be bid soon. Odors have intensified during cleanup and removal is expected to take three to four weeks.
City Manager Mr. Herring updated council on May 5 about ongoing work at the Wheeling water treatment plant, saying intensified odors are a byproduct of cleaning long-settled sludge from the digesters.
Mr. Herring said the city approved a temporary screw press rental (contract later adopted by council) and that a permanent screw press will be put out for bid in the coming week. He outlined costs: sludge removal is likely to be roughly $500,000 to $600,000, while repairs to digesters (valves and related work) amount to about $1.4 million. He said the sludge removal and related hauling are underway and predicted the work would likely take another three to four weeks.
"The sludge removal is about a going to be probably about a five or six hundred thousand dollar proposition," Mr. Herring said. "The repair of the digesters itself which are valves etc. is about a 1.4 million dollar project."
Mr. Herring said the intensified smell is a temporary effect of removing material that has accumulated for a long time and that the permanent repairs and equipment purchase are part of a longer-term engineering program. The council previously approved equipment rentals and procurement items in support of the water plant work during the meeting.
Next steps identified in the meeting: the city will bid the permanent screw press, proceed with sludge removal and complete digester repairs per the contracted schedule and engineering plan; city staff will manage communications about odor impacts while the cleanup continues.
