A series of system improvements are headed to the Wallaceburg Water Pollution Control Plant, including pump and control upgrades.
The Wallaceburg Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) will be receiving $250,000 for the replacement of two Archimedes Screw pumps and controls. The WPCP, which is located at 795 Gillard St., will be upgrading the Archimedes Screw return pumps to dry-pit centrifugal style pumps. The engineering firm Dillon Consulting will design the system improvements.
“As one of the Council reps on CK PUC (Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission) it is great to see projects such as this taking place in Wallaceburg. The funding available keeps costs down and these improvements will have a very positive impact on not only the environment but future growth," says Councillor Jeff Wesley.
Wallaceburg Water Pollution Control Plant. (Photo provided by Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission)
This project is to upgrade sludge return pumps and controls to improve facility operations. According to a release, the existing pumps are 26 years old and need to be replaced. This project started in July and is expected to be completed in March 2018.
General Manager of CK PUC Tim Sunderland says the commission "is upgrading the pumps to improve operating efficiency and plant operations.”
The current pumps have reportedly lost efficiency due to age, wear and environmental conditions. Rather than the pumps being outside in the environment, the new dry-pit pumps will be placed in the basement of the plant. The project also includes three new pumps, piping and flow meters, as well as other modifications to the plant to accommodate the new pumps.
According to the report, the total project cost is $9.2-M. The federal and provincial governments will be contributing a combined $6.9-M. The federal government’s contribution is 50% of the eligible project costs, as part of the federal budget's Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. The province will be contributing 25% and the remaining 25% is to be covered by CK PUC.