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Sewage-plant upgrades remain on track
(by Sue Reid - July 15, 2009)
Sewage-plant upgrades remain on track
By SUE REID
Although the City of Solon is falling off the federal stimulus-funding list for two projects involving upgrades at its water-reclamation plant, things are still moving forward, Public Works Director James S. Stanek said last week.
CT Consultants is completing the final design for a renewable-energy facility at the Cochran Road plant, as well electrical upgrades. The city is processing a loan application for the projects, which are estimated to be around $4 million combined. They are expected to be bid early next year and be completed next year.
Water reclamation Director Paul Solanics said, although they are two separate items, they are looked at together as one project. A renewable-energy facility at the plant will result in a more modernized approach to an existing process, he said. The anaerobic digester, which is the technology employed in the renewable-energy facility, is being replaced. It is 30 years old.
"The goal behind the anaerobic digester is to be more energy efficient," Mr. Solanics said. The nature of digesters is they produce methane gas." He said the original system was designed to run the actual heating system for the digesters off the methane gas.
"The current system will not do that and the result is we are wasting methane gas, burning it off and flaring it up every day," Mr. Solanics said. "This new design is going to allow us to capture that gas and be able to run our heating system off of that and hopefully provide energy for future use."
"We'll end up with excess methane gas that we hope to market," Mr. Stanek said
The other part of the project, the electrical upgrades, will result in a complete refurbishing of the high-voltage electrical system that powers the entire plant. All of the wiring, which is 30 years old, will be replaced as part of the project.
Mr. Solanics said the typical life of this type of wiring and equipment is about 20 to 25 years old. "We've had failures in the underground wiring over the last few years and have been told that the insulation has actually broken down on the underground wiring," Mr. Solanics said. "When that happens you can get shorts in the wiring and it creates electrical failures."
Also at the plant, work is being done to replace the roofs, all of which are 20 to 25 years old.
"Essentially the whole plant has been rebuilt over the last seven years," Mr. Stanek said. Work began in 2001-2002. The oldest existing parts of the building date back to the mid- to late-1960s.
Mr. Solanics said that this fall, a public open house is planned, where the residents can learn what the plant is all about.
"We're kind of hidden from the spotlight, so to speak," Mr. Solanics said. "A lot of the citizens are not aware we even have a plant."
Solon's water-reclamation plant treats the majority of the waste water generated in the city, which is 4 million gallons a day.
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