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

A plan for improvements to Coulee Dam's wastewater treatment plant is "a work in progress" that could cost residents a quarter of the amount financed in an earlier plan, Mayor Greg Wilder told the town council and a good number of residents during a December meeting.

Wilder said he is exploring the possibility of several improvements to the plant, but he plans on further public meetings before doing anything. One of the meetings will be scheduled in January, Wilder stated.

Wilder is trying to get the Department of Ecology to amend its loan to the town from $4.92 million to $1.2 million.

That amount would cover the equipment costs, an alternative analysis study and administrative and engineering costs.

The town had been set to start a major upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant last year, but the project was the major political issue in determining the mayor's race in 2013, when Wilder won over longtime mayor Quincy Snow.

Wilder is looking at making mechanical upgrades to the existing plant as part of a long-range solution, saving the town from the larger loan and taking most of the bite away from the monthly amount local ratepayers have to pay.

Kurt Holland, an engineer from Varella & Associates, a firm with offices in both Wenatchee and Spokane, was on hand at the town's last council meeting to review the status of the treatment plant. He stated that he was amazed how clean and efficient the four-decade old plant is.

Among the ideas floating around would be to make mechanical improvements that could be moved into a larger facility if the town goes that route. The improvements would make the plant more efficient and would reduce the maintenance and operations costs.

Tim Lynch, operator of the plant, said the improvements, if made, would include:

- an influent fine screen that would remove inert (non organic) materials so the plant would conform to state requirements;

- an influent flow meter to measure incoming flow at the plant on a continuous basis;

- an influent flow paced composite sampler and an effluent flow paced composite sampler to take separate samples of different volumes based on flows over a 24-hour period. Samples are tested for biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids;

- a screw press/sledge dewatering machine. The screw press would take the place of an existing sludge bagging system because the bags are considered inert material and don't meet the state requirement.

Wilder was quick to point out that all equipment changes would transfer into a larger improvement if that is the way the town chooses to go.

A revision of the loan would finance these improvements, the cost of an alternative analysis, and other related costs.

Wilder said he hadn't heard back from the Department of Ecology on revising the loan amount.