Engineer outlines wastewater plant renovation options as CDPHE sets tighter limits

Town Engineer Joanne Fagan presented the draft Project Needs Assessment for renovation of the wastewater treatment plant and summarized possible treatment upgrades and compliance obligations. She told the Council the town’s lagoon system dates to the early 1970s, with a third cell added in 1999, and that a CDPHE permit renewal introduced stricter parameters because Ridgway Reservoir is downstream of the discharge. She said the permit includes a compliance schedule to identify and eliminate potential seepage from the two original ponds and requires new synthetic liners by February 2027; Fagan said it is “highly unlikely” design approval would be received prior to this date and staff has requested an extension.

Fagan described multiple treatment-path options: rebuilding the original cells with synthetic liners and subsurface aeration, converting to an extended aeration activated sludge system, adopting a moving bed biological reactor (MBBR) approach, or installing a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system. She noted most options would add subsurface aeration using blowers and diffusers, likely require adding a lift station, and raise questions about sludge dewatering and disposal. During public comment Charles Mueller urged a longer planning horizon and suggested buying riverfront land to build a “modern plant” and repurposing the current site to offset costs.

The Council and staff discussed next steps: re-examine options in light of CDPHE concerns, select recommended alternatives, and hold a public hearing on a finalized plan. No formal construction authorization was taken at the meeting; the project remains at the needs-assessment stage while staff pursues regulatory clarity and a permit-extension request.