Springfield to upgrade wastewater treatment plant

The city of Springfield in Ohio, US, will upgrade its wastewater treatment plant at an estimated cost of about $58.5m.

The Environmental Protection Agency mandated the upgrade of the high-rate clarifier project to control sewer overflows during heavy rainfall, and will cost about $50.1m, reported Springfield News-Sun.

Design work has been completed at a cost of $4.1m and a further $4.3m will be required for construction services.

Springfield council finance director Mark Beckdahl was quoted by springfieldnewssun.com as saying, "It’s by far the largest thing that we’ve done."

Springfield mayor Warren Copeland added, "We wanted to spread out the damage so people wouldn’t get hit too hard at any one time."

Construction of the project is expected to begin in September 2012, with a completion date of 2014.

The current wastewater treatment plant treats 15 million gallons of sewage per day with a maximum capacity to treat 34 million gallons per day.

The upgrade to the plant has been necessitated by the raw sewage overflow into the Mad River. The clarifier being installed is expected to capture the overflow and treat the sewage.

On completion of the upgrade, the city will be able to treat 134 million gallons of sewage per day.