Adler and Sons of Butler, Pa., cut down trees the week of Feb. 22, the first task in the the expansion of the Brookfield Waste Water Treatment Plant in Masury.
A massive upgrade of the Brookfield Waste Water Treatment Plant in Masury began in mid-February.
The $17 million construction project will take the better part of two years to complete and will address deficiencies while preparing the plant to meet the challenges of the future.
“This project is meant to provide a minimum 20-year solution to the county’s needs within its Brookfield WWTP,” the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said in an environmental review report.
The EPA is loaning Trumbull County $20 million to cover design and construction of the project.
The plant treats waste from 3,600 homes and businesses in Brookfield, Masury and part of Hubbard Township. The waste comes through 36 miles of pipes. Built in 1962, the plant gets heavy flows when storms dump a large amount of water on the ground that makes its way into the sanitary sewer system.
Now, when the plant gets extra water, that water is partially treated before being released into Yankee Run, a waterway the state considers “a priority impaired water.” With the upgrade, a 2.8 million storage tank – called an equalization basin – will hold that extra water until it can be properly treated.
Other work that will be done at the plant on Standard Avenue includes:
- Construction of a new influent and wet weather pumping station.
- Elimination of the existing swirl concentrator.
- Refurbishment of the existing headworks – the part of the plant where water enters – with new screens and grit removal system.
- Conversion of the existing chlorine contact tank to ultraviolet disinfection.
- Installation of a new chemical feed system to remove phosphorus from the water.
- Replacement of all pumps, blowers, and valves.
- Improvements to electrical, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and instrumentation systems.
- Replacement of the existing outfall sewer with a bigger diameter pipe able to handle a larger volume of wastewater.
- Hazardous material abatement and structural improvements to doors, roofs, and windows on some of the buildings.
- Demolition of the sludge drying beds. All sludge is be taken to the county’s Mosquito Creek treatment facility for further treatment and processing.
“It’s gonna be some impressive construction work, especially when we get into these deep excavations,” said Scott Verner, assistant for the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer.
Thomas Construction of Grove City was hired as general contractor, and Burgess and Niple will oversee the construction on behalf of the county.
Although rates have not been raised to pay off the 25-year loan, they will be. A typical customer – with a family of four – uses 4,500 gallons a month and pays about $30 a month for treatment, which doesn’t count any capital charges tacked on for previous system improvements. Over a five-year period, that customer’s treatment bill will increase to about $40 a month.
