The City of Sterling is set to move forward on the final phase of its wastewater system improvements project in June, according to John Scheri, of Mott-MacDonald, the engineering firm leading the project, who gave an update to the City Council on Tuesday.
The project was broken down into three parts; the headworks project, which has been completed; the force main project, which was placed into service in December and is expected to be fully completed in May after the contractor addresses some minor items; and the improvements to the plant itself.
Scheri told the council that the package for construction bids for the improvements to the wastewater treatment plant was advertised starting March 6, bid receipt is scheduled for May 16, it is anticipated the construction contract will be awarded in June and construction is expected to start this June and continue through June 2027.
“This has been a long journey, a lot of different pieces, but the overall benefits to the city are long-lasting and you’ll have updated facilities with current equipment that meets today’s standards from both an operational and safety and efficiency standpoint,” he said, noting there will be increased reliability, particularly against flood damage and it will be a very durable system with a long life.
Mayor Matthew Foos asked if there is a process that takes out pharmaceuticals in the filtration process or if that’s a possibility. Scheri said no because there is no published way, but if any technology is available to do that UV disinfection does have some benefits in that process.
“There are very advanced processes that a facility could be adapted to that in the future if necessary but they are generally very expensive,” he explained.
Asked about PFAS (Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances) or “forever chemicals,” he said there are no regulations right now for wastewater discharges but if it’s not in your source the chances are significantly reduced that it will be in the wastewater. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency passed regulations on the drinking water side and there are three technologies that can deal with that; activating carbon, ion exchange and reverse osmosis.
“The good news is the city’s investment from several years previous on the drinking water side includes reverse osmosis, so you have the best technology on the drinking water side,” Scheri said.
Councilman Albert Delgado asked about the quality of water previous to treating it in the drinking water system and what is the quality of the water going out. Scheri called that a loaded question, telling Delgado there would be no need for a drinking water treatment plant if there weren’t things in there that didn’t satisfy the Safe Drinking Water Act.
“This is a wastewater system, so after we use the water there are things coming out, just humans use it, it gets dirty,” Scheri said, explaining that it’s measured in various ways. But he added, “I like to joke around with my professional qualities that the quality coming out of the backend of a good, well-run wastewater treatment plant is almost good enough to drink.”
Delgado also asked about the cost of the treatment plant improvements. Scheri estimated between $30 and $40 million. In 2019, voters passed a measure allowing the city to seek up to $37 million in a bond or other financing for improvements to the wastewater treatment system, and in 2022 voters approved increasing city debt by $29 million to cover the unanticipated increased cost of the project.
Following the presentation, the council, in a 7-0 vote, approved a resolution amending the professional services agreement with Mott-MacDonald for the project. The amendment amends two exhibits regarding the scope of the work and fees for the construction and post-construction services for the project. The cost reflected in the amendment is $821,823, which is an acceptable amount for the services and there are sufficient funds in the sewer fund account to cover it.
The council from Brett Nocerini, general counsel and real estate manager for 21st Century Equipment, about the over $10 million investment the company has made to rebuild the showroom and shop in Sterling, which should be completed in July. As part of the investment, they agreed to be annexed into the city, to have access to city water and sewer, which was around $800,000 for the infrastructure updates that were needed. Nocerini requested that the company be reimbursed for that under the city’s TRIP (tax receipts investment policy) sales tax incentive, as the business now pays sales tax directly to the city, a 3 percent rate, and is expecting to grow consumer-oriented purchases over time. Paid for over 15 years, that reimbursement would pay for about 75-85 percent of the $800,000 cost for the infrastructure updates.
The council directed City Attorney Matthew Richardson to work on an agreement with Nocerini.
In other business, the council adopted proclamations declaring May 1-7 as Youth Week and April 26 as Arbor Day and approved the consent agenda, which included liquor license renewals for 7-Eleven and The Grill at River City and a retail warehouse storage permit for Broadway Wine & Spirits.
