Project could go until February
An unseasonably wet summer and fall is causing some delays in New London’s $4.4 million dollar wastewater treatment plant upgrade.
Chief Operator Ben Gruel told the Board of Public Works Monday, Nov. 4, the project could now go into February.
The project which began in June had been slated for completion in December.
“I thought their schedule was a little tight when they first proposed it,” said Gruel.
Rain, cold and high water levels on the Wolf River have been contributing factors in slowing parts of the project.
The upgrade includes rehabilitation work on the plant’s digester complex, concrete restoration of existing sludge tanks and construction of a new high-strength receiving station.
“Contractors are a week, week and half behind schedule with mechanical work, but painters are roughly four week’s behind,” said Gruel.
Painters had to work under tents last week while spraying the 37-ton south digester cover with protective epoxy paint.
Crews from August Winter and Sons used a 275-ton crane to lift the digester back into place on Friday, Nov. 8.
Gruel said it will now take time for the epoxy to cure before they began refilling the tank.
“Hopefully by the third week of November we will have the digester working so we can take the cover off the other digester and get that sand blasted and finished,” said Gruel.
The plant which has the potential to handle double its current capacity has two primary digesters referred to as north and south.
Gruel also explained the need for contractors to install an extra drain in front of the concrete slab due to excessive moisture levels in the ground.
“Seeing that the river has been so high all year-long, the ground is so saturated water is finding its way into old joints from the 50s,” said Gruel.
“Hopefully the coating of these walls will help with that but, if they’re not we want a trough so the water can go to that drain.”
Overall he said contractors with the exception of the painters, have gained ground on the schedule for mechanical and concrete work.
“If we’re lucky the weather will be back in the 60’s for us to clean out the North digester for its repairs,” Gruel wrote in his monthly November notes shared with the committee.
He also said the weather delayed sludge hauling this fall.
“We were able to haul sludge for two days in October before the weather turned. We were able to inject around 300,000 gallons. If we are lucky the weather will warm up in November so we can continue,” he wrote.
Main electrical breaker replacement
Gruel told the committee that the main electrical breaker for the treatment facility was weak and needs replacing.
“The electrician working for our upgrade noticed that the main breaker going into the treatment facility is really spongy and they are afraid it will not re-energize the next time it is turned off,” said Gruel.
A loose lug cannot be tightened in the 34-year old breaker resulting in a phase imbalance when the emergency generator runs.
He said because newer breakers are made smaller, the contractor would need to use a conversion kit to fit a new breaker onto the Master Control Center buss bar.
He received a quote for $9,939 to retrofit and install a new one.
Funds would be used from the Wisconsin Replacement Fund account to cover the cost.
Gruel said there is still $35,000 left in the available fund.
The board unanimously approved the repair.