SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- The Sellersburg Wastewater Treatment Plant is filtering with the future in mind - adding 40% more and the town manager says it's not a moment too soon.
Monday afternoon the Sellersburg Town Council and engineers symbolically broke ground on a new nearly $20 million expansion to remedy a deteriorating sewer system.
More than 2 million gallons of wastewater processed every day at the Sellersburg treatment plant and at least another million gallons will be added when this is all complete.
“We literally have infrastructure that has been failing and is continuing to fail,” said town manager Charlie Smith. “We honestly don't know how we'd been able to continue to treat sewage in the town of Sellersburg.”
The expansion is part of the town’s 2040 infrastructure plan. It’s not just a repair, it’s a replacement. That includes the filtering system in the plant’s headworks building.
Construction is already underway on one of the new holding tanks.
Sellersburg Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The sewer system is separate from the town’s water utilities that has been forcing boil water advisories over the last several years.
Smith said the sewer system had about three years left before major issues would have happened for the 29-year-old plant.
The new plant is coming at a cost to taxpayers – it was announced earlier this year about $20 would be added to monthly bills since no rate increases have happened for two decades.
“When you look at that it averages about $1 a year over the last 20 years has had to have been realized suddenly,” said Smith.
Sellersburg Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The project is to be financed through the Indiana Finance Authority State Revolving Fund.
The plant will cap capacity at 90% considering the town will soon have 500 new multi-family units completed.
“This is kind of a double-edged opportunity where we can fix some of our capacity issues while rehabbing and completely rebuilding the existing system internally,” said Smith. “This is, realistically, the big priority with the town of Sellersburg right now.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2023.
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