City of Murray to start expansion of Bee Creek Wastewater Treatment facility in US

City of Murray in Kentucky, US will begin on a $61m expansion at Bee Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The expansion is being undertaken to upgrade the plant to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Kentucky Division of Water standards.

This initiative is, however, likely to raise the water and wastewater bills in the city by 100% in the next three years, reports Murray State University operated WKMS radio station.

City of Murray Mayor Jack Rose was cited by WKMS as saying: "It’s going to be a new system.

"Also, I think a key element in all of this is that we will be prepared for growth in this community for probably a few decades."

Construction of the expanded plant will take over three summer with scheduled completion by 2018.

Jack Rose said: "That’s the reason we were rushing to try to get started because we were already under a limited timeframe with the EPA and with the Division of Water in Kentucky.

"We got both of those extended some, so we will finish now about the end of 2018."

Earlier in the year two of its three influent water pumps were repaired that had not been operating.

Operating since 1984, the plant was expanded in 1994 from 3.5 MGD to 5.25 MGD.