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The Luverne City Council met at the wastewater treatment plant Tuesday, May 19, to tour construction on the $14 million improvement project.
The general contractor, Gridor Construction, Buffalo, has taken advantage of cooperative weather to make progress on Luverne’s wastewater treatment facility improvements.
The new sludge storage tank walls are in place, and the crews have turned attention to concrete pours and reinforcement steel for the new storage tank.
Also, a good share of work is complete on the electrical side of the plant, including the motor control center, electrical conductors and wire that goes to all of the process units.
Equipment has been installed in Oxidation Ditch No. 2, as well as in the primary clarifier and the final clarifier.
Piping and valves have been installed throughout the facility, and progress is underway on metal fabrication and on the process control system.
Water and wastewater supervisor Al Lais told council members the new Oxidation Ditch No. 2 will likely be online by the Fourth of July. At that time, the old Oxidation Ditch No. 1 can be drained and rebuilt.
It is estimated that the plant is now over 60 percent complete, and it is on track to be substantially complete by the end of the calendar year.
At Tuesday’s meeting (May 26) the City Council approved its 10th payment to Gridor Construction in the amount of $779,226.00 for Phase 2 and 3 improvements.
Background
The project is essentially rebuilding and improving Luverne’s wastewater facility and replacing major components — some that are original to the 1956 plant.
The work is divided into two major parts.
The first part, to be finished by this summer, will be primarily utilized by Premium Minnesota Pork, which is paying $6.7 million of the $14 million project.
The other part of the project, with an estimated completion by this fall, is to improve wastewater treatment capacity for the future growth of the community.
Premium Minnesota Pork will require wastewater treatment capacity at more than the city could provide with its existing system.
Luverne’s plant capacity was nearly maxed as it was, often operating within 15 percent of the capacity.
The improvements will increase capacity from 1.5 million gallons per day to 2.235 million gallons per day, which is more than enough to accommodate PIP, in addition to future industry.
Another reason for the plant improvement is that Luverne’s NPDES permit was up for its five-year renewal, and MPCA monitoring data revealed a need for enhanced nutrient removal, including phosphorus.
The wastewater treatment project plans include:
•demolition of the 1950s trickling filter.
•oxidation ditch enhancements (two parallel oxidation ditches.)
•replacing the 1955 anaerobic digester with a new one.
•new electrical building with an emergency generator.
•new chemical storage building.
•new oxidation ditch treatment train.
•increasing sludge storage from 650,000 gallons to 1,050,000 gallons.
•increased monitoring, control and automation of treatment processes.
Costs are being financed through bonds over the next 30 years for the plant that’s expected to last for the next 50 years.