By Jim Bloch
The city of St. Clair has adopted a final planning document for improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment plant and sewer collection system in the estimated amount of $5.72 million.
The document puts the city in position to apply for a low interest loan from the State of Michigan’s Clean Water Revolving Fund, which is administered by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The loan would carry an interest rate of about three percent.
If the city wins the loan, residents will see increases in sewer payments. Residents account for 52 percent of the usage of the plant. Annual debt repayments would be $380,000 for 20 years. That boils down to an additional cost for typical residential users of $17.30 per quarter or $69.17 per year.
Two representatives of the Grand Rapids engineering firm Fishbeck, Josh Redner and Daniel Schecter, presented the proposed improvements at a public hearing held during the city council’s regular meeting April 21. The project will replace aging equipment, enhance worker safety, improve the reliability of the collection system as well as its life, and boost the water quality of the St. Clair River.
The project plan and the public hearing are requirements of the loan application process, which is competitive. A complementary, but more costly project is now underway at the city’s water plant and distribution system.
The wastewater treatment plant serves the city and a portion of St. Clair Township; the township accounts for 26.5 percent of plant’s output and will cover that portion of the overall cost for the upgrades. The wastewater collection system consists of 38 miles of sewer line, ranging in size from eight to 42 inches in diameter, and 13 lift stations.
Redner discussed the need for the work.
“There have been a number of sanitary sewer overflows from the collection system,” said Redner, as heard on the recording of the meeting posted on YouTube. “There are the two wet weather storage tanks, but they sometimes have trouble utilizing those effectively.”
During large rain events, the two big blue tanks perched on the banks of the Pine River and shrouded by aging arborvitae trees, are designed to hold increased volumes of sewage and storm water so that the plant is not overwhelmed and forced to discharge untreated or partially treated wastewater into the St. Clair River.
“There are safety and operational concerns throughout the plant, including some HVAC and electrical in the headworks building,” said Redner. That’s where preliminary screening and grit removal takes place. In terms of primary treatment, the chain and flight equipment must be repaired and the clarifier drives replaced. In the secondary treatment building, the trickling filters are rusted and must be replaced. In the solids handling, the plant now flares off methane gas, but the flare is too close to the building and presents a safety hazard. The chemical feed system needs safety upgrades.
“In the collection system, the pump stations currently do not have backup power,” Redner said. Certain sections of sewer line are in poor shape and have high levels of inflow and infiltration of storm water and must be relined.
The cost breakdown is $248,000 for the influent pumping and wet weather detention; $467,000 for preliminary treatment; $430,000 for primary treatment; $2,311,000 for secondary handling and the trickling filters; $1,503,000 for solids handling; $108,000 for the chemical feed system; and $396,000 for sewer improvements. Design, engineering, construction administration and contingency estimates are built into the projected costs.
Public health benefits of the project include reducing the risk of sewer overflows to the river, improving effluent water quality and thus the overall water quality of the St. Clair River.
The tentative timeline calls for submitting the project plan to EGLE by May 1. Final design would take place June 2025-January 2026, followed by bidding. Construction would begin in May 2026 and wrap up in April 2028.
The city council voted 6-1 to adopt the resolution in support of the project. Council member Mitch Kuffa was absent.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
