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CMA votes to build wastewater treatment plant
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
By Jeff Corcino Staff Writer
At its meeting yesterday, the Clearfield Municipal Authority voted to proceed with a $20 million to $25 million project to replace its wastewater treatment plant to comply with new Chesapeake Bay discharge regulations.
"We are up against a rock and a hard place," said Russell Triponey, chairman of the CMA board. "We don't have a choice."
The federal Environmental Protection Agency is requiring all states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to reduce discharges of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorous into waterways that discharge into the Chesapeake Bay.
Discharges of nitrogen and phosphorous are believed to be causing algae blooms in the Chesapeake Bay that are killing off fish, birds and other wildlife in the bay.
The new wastewater treatment plant will be integrated into CMA's current facilities at the treatment plant, according to CMA Engineer Jim Balliet of Gwin, Dobson & Foremen Inc. of Altoona.
It will take approximately one year to complete the design of the plant and 1½ to 2 years to build, Balliet said.
However, the plant will be completed after the new regulations go into effect so CMA will be forced to purchase pollution credits on the open market for two to three years until the plant is completed, Balliet said.
The new Chesapeake Bay regulations go into effect on Sept. 30, 2010, and by Sept. 30, 2011, CMA will have to show it has reduced its nutrient emissions.
A cap and trade system is being set up in which those who do not meet the cap loads can purchase pollution credits from those who have lowered their nutrient discharges below their cap loads.
Balliet said the pollution credits are expected to cost the CMA $500,000 to $1 million a year.
However once the plant is completed, the new treatment system will reduce CMA's nutrient discharges to below its nutrient cap loads so it will be able to sell pollution credits on the open market.
Balliet said it is difficult to predict how much the CMA will be able to get from selling the pollution credits but said he would be satisfied if CMA earns in the neighborhood of $50,000 per year from the sale of pollution credits.
The CMA board directed the finance committee to look at funding options to finance the cost of the new wastewater treatment plant. CMA is hoping to get a low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority to finance the construction, plus there could be some federal funding available.
However, Balliet said it is still too early to tell what effect the new plant will have on CMA's rates.
If CMA does not upgrade its wastewater treatment plant it would be forced to purchase pollution credits every year, plus it will likely need to upgrade its plant anyway in the near future because many portions of the plant were constructed in the 1950s and at 50 years old are nearing the end of their useful life, according to Balliet.
In other business, CMA voted to offer the full-time position on its crew to Andrew Haney of Clearfield at the union contract wage rate. Haney is currently a temporary part-time employee at CMA.
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