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Ohio EPA funding sought for sewage upgrades
(by Sue Reid - March 24, 2010)
Ohio EPA funding sought for sewage upgrades
By SUE REID
Solon City Council has approved an ordinance authorizing the mayor to pursue funding from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for digester and electrical upgrades at its sewage-treatment plant.
Paul Solanics, director of the treatment plant, said the funding typically is geared toward environmental projects, such as waste-water-treatment plant improvements, and it will be in the form of a low-interest loan. The city has applied for $5.94 million in funding to complete the project.
Mr. Solanics said the figure is higher then earlier estimates, because a backup generator for the plant has been added to the electrical upgrade portion of the project. "We will probably bid that as an alternate," he said.
The generator would be used for power-outage situations, he said. Currently, there is a backup system, but during a recent blackout both went down, Mr. Solanics said.
He told members of city council's public works committee recently that the digesters at the plant are over 30 years old.
"Right now, we are pushing the digesters to the limit," he said. The digesters are sludge holding tanks that are responsible for the process of breaking down organic materials.
"In that process, methane gas is produced," Mr. Solanics said, "and that can be utilized as a fuel source.
"The way the system works now, you can't use that," he said. "The new project will incorporate a gas cleaning system." A subsequent phase will involve being able to sell the gas, Mr. Solanics said.
The electrical upgrades portion of the project 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, he said.
Both projects originally were planned to be completed this year, Mr. Solanics said. Deadline to get the funding application in is April 1. He also said stimulus money still is available and the city will apply for that as well.
"If we get that funding, we won't need to ask for as much money as the loan," he said. With all stimulus funding given last year, he said, the application process has slowed.
"It is possible to still start the project this year," Mr. Solanics said.
Cost-wise, these upgrades are the most significant that have occurred at the plant in recent years, Mr. Solanics said. However, a trickling filter project, completed in 2007 at a cost of $4.3 million, was also major in that it changed the plant's entire treatment process, he said.
Solon's sewage-treatment plant, built in the 1960s, treats the majority of the waste water generated in the city, which is 3.2 million gallons a day.
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