Clinton board approves $438,000 base contract to replace wastewater aerators after state BOD concerns

The Town of Clinton Mayor and Board of Aldermen voted March 11 to proceed with a $438,000 base contract to replace floating mechanical aerators at the town wastewater pond after an engineering presentation flagged capacity loss and repeated water-quality violations.

David Colson of Professional Engineering Consultant told the board that a hydrographic survey showed the pond depth had dropped from about 8 feet to roughly 4.5 feet, “losing about fifty percent of the pond capacity.” He said a Department of Health and Hospitals review of the town’s discharge monitoring reports found violations of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in five of the last six months of 2024 and that the incoming wastewater included “high strength wastewater,” which he described as comparable to septic waste and “seven to eight times the strength” of typical wastewater. Colson said the agency requested additional aeration before issuing a permit, so the project scope was expanded to include that extra aeration.

Colson presented the low bidder, Mitchell Contracting, Inc. of Madisonville, whose itemized base bid totaled $438,000 (mobilization $25,000; removal of existing floating mechanical aerators and electrical appurtenances $18,500; furnish and install six 25HP floating mechanical aerators at $56,000 each; electrical work $58,500). An additive alternate to remove and replace the floating curtain baffle and appurtenances was listed at $100,000, bringing the full additive total to $538,000 if the town chooses both alternates.

Alderman Morris moved that the board proceed with the base bid to install six new aerators, complete associated dredging and baffle work as funding allows, and remove two existing aerators while retaining them as town property; the motion passed. The motion did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes.

Accountant Tim Butler told the board there are sufficient funds to undertake repairs to the wastewater system. The town also discussed potential causes for the high-strength influent; Colson suggested unauthorized septic dumping or other concentrated waste sources but the minutes do not record a definitive source or a staff directive to investigate further.

Next steps recorded in the minutes: contract award to the low bidder for the base aerator replacement and follow-up procurement actions for electrical work and any additive alternates as funds permit. The board did not record a formal schedule for construction or a specific funding source beyond the accountant’s statement that funds are available.