Coulee Dam officials have their fingers crossed that a critical piece of equipment at its wastewater treatment plant now in operation will last until a new one is received.

The town council voted Wednesday to spend some $40,000 to replace the "clarifier" at the treatment plant.

Public works director Barry Peacock outlined the problem for city officials at the council meeting.

The wastewater plant doesn't have a backup for the clarifier, and if it went down before the new one could be installed, the town would be in a fix.

Peacock told the council that at first it was thought the problem was with a seal. But a frequent alarm later indicated that the problem was much more severe.

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

Peacock said the normal delivery time for a clarifier is 8-10 weeks, but the company that makes them had one on the shelf and delivery should occur much sooner. The plant will be down two days for installation.

Peacock and plant personnel have figured out a way to bypass the work of the clarifier on a temporary basis while the new equipment is installed.

Tim Lynch, plant operator for the past 35 years, had already marked out the location for a lift to set the new equipment in place.

"The clarifier is almost 40 years old, and has done its job for a long time," Lynch stated.