The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Coulee Dam town officials had their fingers crossed that a new clarifier would arrive before the old 35-year unit quit on them.

It came Tuesday, and true to operator Tim Lynch's report to the town council, the new one was installed the same day. Lynch said it should be operable by the end of the day.

But it took the combined efforts of a manufacturer's representative, a heavy equipment company and several town employees to pull it off, literally.

The town council had voted $40,000 to replace the clarifier early in July and were told at the time by public works director Barry Peacock that he had his fingers crossed that the old unit would last until the new one arrived.

It did.

The wastewater treatment plant didn't have a backup for the unit that was installed in 1978.

Peacock told the council at the time that a replacement unit would take some 8-10 weeks for delivery. He and the unit were right on the money; it took 10 weeks.

The clarifier separates the liquids from the solids and is central to the plant's operation.

The combined crews had been at work since early morning, freeing the old unit so it could be pulled out by the crane. It became a more challenging task than they anticipated. The unit had only about a half-inch clearance, but it finally released.

The new unit, painted a brilliant blue, was standing by ready to be lifted to the unit's shaft.

The town staff had figured out a way to bypass the clarifier for a short amount of time.

Lynch, who has been the plant operator for the past 35 years, stated, "The unit has done its work well."