BATH

Bath voters will decide whether to approve a $9.8 million bond that will go toward funding improvements to the city’s wastewater infrastructure and treatment plant on the November ballot this year.

“It’s been almost 20 years since there was an upgrade,” said Public Works Director Peter Owen. “It’s really critical we stay ahead of the curve and replace equipment … technology has changed since (it) was last upgraded, so there are energy differences and there’s a lot of reasons to take advantage of this.”

According to Owen, the treatment plant was built in 1974 to prevent wastewater from overflowing into the Kennebec River, and it was last upgraded in 1997.

“These aren’t systems where you can wait until they break,” said Bill Giroux, Bath’s city manager. “You have to keep the system running, so if you see wear and tear you need to do the repairs to keep the systems going.”

Owen clarified that the upgrade was prompted by a study conducted by engineering firm Wright-Pierce in 2012, which gave the city a comprehensive wastewater review that pinpointed areas in infrastructure and equipment that needed upgrading.

Project manager Chris Dwinal said the company also examined five pump stations in the city, including the station on Hunt and Rose Street.

The bond was previously reviewed at a council meeting in February.

Dwinal said work on the city’s wastewater system began in the early 1990s when a consent agreement was made between the city and the Department of Environmental Protection to address combined sewer overflows (CSO), sites where storm water and wastewater would run off into the Kennebec River.

In 1993, a CSO master plan was developed and upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility were made in 1997. While a number of CSOs have been reduced over the years, four active CSOs still remain.

And despite 22 years of work and $10 million in funds that have gone toward wastewater improvement, Dwinal said there are still areas in the collection system that are overwhelmed during wet weather periods.

Dwinal said the bond will target some important wastewater needs that should be addressed in the next five to 10 years.

This includes 16 potential CSO collection system projects that will work toward meeting the CSO master plan, which is estimated to total about $3.6 million.

A total of $5.3 million will also go toward upgrading the 20-yearold bell press at the treatment facility, which dewaters solids that are taken out of the wastewater and discharges clean water into the river. Dwinal said there are advances in dewatering technologies that are more efficient than the one that is currently in place.

“We would look at a couple different technologies and look at a replacement technology that would best meet the city’s needs,” Dwinal said.

Aeration tanks also need upgrades and other structural work will need to be done to the plant.

The project will also include upgrades to three pump stations, which amounts to about $960,000.

“This request for a $9.8 million bond will allow the city to continue to reliably treat wastewater in the coming years and protect the resource here in Bath that’s certainly vital to the economy here,” said Dwinal.

City councilors unanimously agreed to place the $9.8 million bond on the November ballot.

More information about the project can be found on the city website and at City Hall. Chairwoman Mari Eosco encouraged the public to learn more about the bond before voting this fall.

Plant history

ACCORDING TO Public Works Director Peter Owen, the Bath treatment plant was built in 1974 to prevent wastewater from overflowing into the Kennebec River, and it was last upgraded in 1997.

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