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Consultants: Kearney wastewater plant nearing capacity; two‑phase expansion and I&I work recommended
Summary
Consultants told the Kearney Board of Aldermen that the wastewater plant routinely runs at about 90% capacity and recommended a two‑phase expansion (doubling capacity as Phase 1) plus targeted inflow‑and‑infiltration (I&I) repairs and collection‑system upgrades; an early MBR option carried an order‑of‑magnitude Phase‑1 cost estimate of about $30 million.
Consultants from Lampard presented an anti‑degradation study and collection‑system model showing Kearney's wastewater treatment plant (rated 1.125 million gallons per day) is operating routinely above 1.0 MGD — roughly 90% of capacity — and recommended the city begin planning to expand capacity.
"Your plant's basically almost at capacity and it's time to expand," said Laura Gray, the wastewater practice lead for the consultant team. Gray told the board DNR approved the anti‑degradation report and that the plant could be expanded to meet permit limits if properly designed.
The report recommends a two‑phase approach: Phase 1 would double the existing facility (to about 2.25 MGD) and Phase 2 would add a third train later if growth demands it. Gray described a membrane bioreactor (MBR) as an advanced‑treatment option suitable for a constrained site and gave an order‑of‑magnitude Phase‑1 budgetary estimate of roughly $30 million; she cautioned that exact costs require facility planning and design.
Consultant Andrew Connor outlined collection‑system findings: the city model divided the service area into six basins and identified significant wet‑weather inflow and infiltration (I&I) in Basin K05, where peak flows exceeded average dry‑weather flows by more than 10× during monitored storms. Connor recommended starting with targeted CCTV and pipe/manhole inspections in the K05 system, followed by CIPP lining and manhole rehabilitation to reduce I&I. He estimated an initial I&I rehabilitation project on the order of $3 million, subject to field verification.
Board members pressed on near‑term implications, site constraints and funding. Gray said facility planning and SRF (State Revolving Fund) financing are typical next steps and that more detailed hydraulic modeling, property‑level investigations, and flow metering would be required before final design. The board took no formal action tonight beyond receiving the report.
