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Strand Associates outlines $45.4 million plan to replace Lancaster wastewater plant
Summary
Strand Associates presented a facilities plan to the Public Works Review Committee proposing replacement of Lancaster’s aging wastewater treatment plant with an activated sludge process, projected at $45.4 million, and outlined permitting and funding timelines through 2029.
Phil Severson of Strand Associates gave the Public Works Review Committee an overview on March 5 of the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant facilities plan, saying the current Department of Natural Resources permit expires in October 2026 and that the city is currently relying on variances to meet phosphorus requirements.
Severson described the existing plant’s age and condition — the WWTP dates to 1939 with upgrades in 1977, 1986, 1994 and 2003 — and said replacement parts increasingly must be custom-made. He summarized the plan components: design of new facilities at 75% of current capacity; replacement of the existing trickling filters and rotating biological contactors with an activated sludge process (three options were outlined); two tertiary phosphorus removal alternatives; two disinfection alternatives; and other equipment and layout changes to allow transition from old to new facilities. The facilities plan estimates projected costs of $45.4 million and identifies the Wisconsin Clean Water Fund loan and principal forgiveness grant as primary funding options.
The schedule Severson relayed includes an initial permit application due April 3, a public hearing on the facilities plan in summer 2026, financing application windows beginning in October 2027, and potential construction start as soon as June 2029. He also noted the plant will be designed to allow for anticipated future regulation on total nitrogen removal.
