US County to begin $353m upgrade work on wastewater treatment plant

The Pierce County Public Works and Utilities, in Pierce County, Washington, US, has announced plans to begin the $353m expansion work on the Chambers Creek regional wastewater treatment plant on 15 November 2012.

The expansion project of the plant, located in University Place, will almost double the size of the facility and increase the treatment capacity of the plant from 28.7 million gallons to 43 million gallons per day.

Pierce County Public Works and Utilities director Brian Ziegler said the County is constructing the project to address the future demand.

"Our design decisions have factored in short- and long-term costs over the life of the facility, including initial cost, maintenance, repair, operations, and energy savings," Ziegler added.

The project work will also include repairing and replacing the existing old and worn out infrastructure at the facility.

The infrastructure improvements will include restoring the existing buildings, upgrading laboratory and expanding the digesters, aeration basins, and secondary clarifiers of the plant.

The Chambers Creek regional wastewater treatment plant upgrade is being funded by the sale of three bonds, each with a 30-year payback period, along with additional funding of $13m from a Public Works Trust Fund loan, state grants, monthly collections from sewer collections and charges on new developments.

Pierce County executive Pat McCarthy said, "The project also introduces new technologies that help protect the environment and builds the foundation for meeting increasingly stringent environmental regulations."

The county authorities are expecting to finish the expansion work in the final quarter of 2016.

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Image: Pierce County will expand the Chambers Creek regional wastewater treatment plant to increase the capacity of the facility and treat wastewater. Photo: Nigel Wylie.