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Consultant: Bloomington wastewater plant built in 1983 needs upgrades to meet modern DNR limits
Summary
Delta 3 presented a draft evaluation finding the Village's wastewater plant operates at roughly 57% of design flow but lacks treatment features now required by the DNR; Delta 3 recommended equipment and process upgrades and set a timeline for planning and grant applications through 2027.
Delta 3 consultant Jordan Fure presented a draft evaluation of the Village of Bloomington Wastewater Treatment Facility and a multi-year timeline for upgrades.
"The current facility was installed in 1983," Fure said, and the plant is "operating at about 57% of design flow," though it now must meet additional DNR limits including ammonia, E. coli (formerly fecal coliform), PFAS, chlorides and total phosphorus. The evaluation identified obsolete equipment and infrastructure: a 1983 motor control center with hard-to-find parts; a high-wear comminutor; a generator that only powers blower #1; a sludge storage tank in the floodplain in poor condition; and a chlorine disinfection system that uses hazardous chemicals.
Fure recommended replacing the MCC with variable frequency drives, upgrading headworks with a mechanical screen and automatic bagger, switching from chlorine disinfection to UV, constructing a new sludge storage tank, replacing blowers with sound enclosures and adding a dissolved oxygen probe to regulate blower operation. He outlined a timeline: a final report due in December 2025, a facility plan in 2026, plans and specifications in 2027 with grant applications, and likely construction in 2028-29. He also said the village will receive a $5,000 Focus on Energy reimbursement and that Delta 3 will return in February 2026 to discuss priorities and costs for a facility plan.
Board members discussed whether to co-locate village offices at the wastewater site as part of a larger project; Clerk Shawna Atterbury said co-location would be more efficient for staff but the board noted space and parking concerns and added the item to future agendas. Delta 3 will continue work on grant and loan options, and preliminary funding information is expected by February with full DNR application work due by June.
