Denton water plant presenters flag $645,000 plate‑settler option, aging pumps and sludge challenges

Presenter S8 and water/wastewater staff detailed capital and operational needs at the town water plant, highlighting both a major capital option — plate settlers — and ongoing maintenance and sludge‑handling costs.

S8 said plate settlers, which help settle floc prior to filtration, were quoted by vendors (Hayward Industries referenced) at about $645,000 for both basins and would significantly reduce filter backwashing and operator downtime. The presenter proposed phasing the work (installing one basin at a time) to manage downtime and spread the cost across budget cycles.

Operational replacements included pump rotating assemblies (some more than 15 years old), a floating aerator requiring frequent rewinds, failing actuators and backwash valves, and two remaining actuators that had been quoted in the meeting’s materials at about $8,100 each. Staff asked for $50,000 for maintenance/repair equipment and $20,000 for sewer-line repairs.

The meeting also emphasized sludge‑handling complications: changes in farmer acceptance and timing, limits on fields (citing the Sexton Farm and Wood Farm), and a $500 per‑application fee for land application of sludge. Staff noted the town could explore on‑site processing (belt press or centrifuge) via grant funding to reduce dependence on available farmland.

Staff asked for at least one additional trainee to be funded so the plant would have certified backups for wastewater and water operations, citing state licensing and pesticide‑handling rule changes that will increase certification requirements and training costs.

The board discussed interconnections with neighboring plants (Madison) and tradeoffs between upfront capital and long‑term operating savings. Several figures in the transcript were inconsistent or garbled; staff were asked to confirm vendor quotes and provide corrected figures for the record.