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Consultant warns Bloomington wastewater plant needs multi-year upgrades, recommends UV and equipment replacements
Summary
Delta 3 presented an evaluation finding the 1983 wastewater plant operates at about 57% of design flow but lacks capacity for newer DNR limits; recommendations include replacing obsolete controls, switching from chlorine to UV disinfection, building new sludge storage off the floodplain and pursuing grants for a 2028–29 construction window.
Jordan Fure of consultant Delta 3 presented a draft Wastewater Treatment Facility Evaluation to the Village of Bloomington Board on Nov. 3, outlining a multi-year plan to address aging equipment and newer Wisconsin DNR requirements.
Fure said the current plant—installed in 1983—operates at roughly 57% of design flow but was not configured for modern permit limits such as ammonia, E. coli (formerly fecal coliform), PFAS, chlorides and total phosphorus. Delta 3 identified several immediate technical problems: an obsolete motor control center with hard-to-find parts, a high-wear comminutor, a generator that currently powers only one blower and is nearing the end of its useful life, a chlorine disinfection system that presents dosing and chemical-handling concerns, a sludge storage tank located in the floodplain in poor condition, and energy-intensive blowers.
To address those issues, Delta 3 recommended replacing the motor control center with variable frequency drives, improving the headworks with a mechanical screen and automatic bagger, replacing chlorine disinfection with UV disinfection, constructing a new sludge storage tank outside the floodplain, replacing blowers and adding sound enclosures, and installing a dissolved-oxygen probe to regulate blower operation and reduce energy use. Fure said Delta 3 will send a final report in December and that the village will receive a $5,000 Focus on Energy reimbursement tied to the evaluation.
Fure outlined a likely timeline: the consultant will submit the evaluation in December 2025; a facility plan would be developed in 2026; plans and specifications (and grant applications) in 2027; and construction likely in 2028–29, contingent on funding. The board discussed whether to consider moving village offices to the wastewater site as part of a larger project; Clerk Shawna Atterbury said co-locating staff could be more efficient, though board members raised questions about space and parking.
The board did not take formal action on capital work at the Nov. 3 meeting. Delta 3 will return in February 2026 to discuss priorities and costs for a facility plan and grant strategy.
