Arcola Council approves $9.55 million contract to expand wastewater plant

The Arcola City Council on April 8 approved a $9,553,638 construction contract with Industrial Tech Corp to expand the city’s wastewater treatment plant by 450,000 gallons per day, increasing permitted capacity to 1.4 million gallons per day. City engineer Lawrence Turner said the low bid met requirements and that Freshwater Supply District No. 1 will reimburse the enterprise fund for project costs.

Turner told the council the expansion is intended to accommodate recent growth and that the project timeline is 365 working days. “The lowest bid was from Industrial Tech Support, and their bid amount as as stated earlier was $9,553,638,” Turner said during the presentation. He said the work will be coordinated with the district’s project engineer and that invoices will flow from city to district before payment to the contractor. Council member Abar moved to approve the contract; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The city engineer said the expansion will be entirely at the expense of Freshwater Supply District No. 1 and that the district will receive the project’s associated capacity. The council’s action follows prior briefings on permit limits and system flows; staff said the plant previously operated at a 0.95 MGD permitted limit and the increase is intended to address that constraint.

Next steps include pre-construction coordination and submittal of a bypass plan and schedule; staff said they will process contractor invoices and coordinate reimbursement with the district.