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Water-reclamation utility touts IFAS expansion and reuse agreements; biosolids and energy are growing costs
Summary
Water-reclamation staff described their recently completed IFAS expansion (higher nutrient removal), industrial reuse agreements that supply ethanol and soybean processors, and rising biosolids and energy costs driving budget pressure and capital needs.
Jim Hausauer, water-reclamation utility director, reviewed the utility’s seven-year expansion and recent operational profile. He said the plant uses integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) technology, can treat roughly 29M gallons per day on average with 50M gpd hydraulic peaks, and achieves 80–90% reductions in total nitrogen and phosphorus compared with prior performance. "We actually can reduce total nitrogen and total phosphorus about 80 to 90%," Hausauer said.
Hausauer highlighted effluent reuse as a revenue stream and regional asset: longstanding MOUs with an ethanol plant (1.4M gpd contract) and a new 2024 MOU to provide around 820,000 gpd to a soybean processor. He said energy (electricity and natural gas) and biosolids disposal are growing budget pressures as the facility’s higher-performance treatment produces more biosolids. The utility asked for modest capital reserves for pump/membrane replacements, lift-station repairs and a potential force-main under I‑29 to handle south Fargo flows.
