Mt. Pleasant Wastewater Treatment Plant updates

The Mt. Pleasant Wastewater Treatment Plant continues its updates as a part of the city's seven-year $10 million infrastructure plan.

For Mt. Pleasant City Administrator Brent Schleisman, this has been a long time coming.

"We had this project broken down into really four phases," Schleisman said. "Now we're sort of in the last phase. Our next step is closing the northern treatment facility and strictly using the southern plant as the main treatment center. I'm happy that we're nearing the final stage of the project."

Previously completed parts of the project included lining sanitary sewage pipes, over 25,000 feet. The city replaced more than 100 brick utility hole covers. This project alone cost $2.9 million.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources devised these significant updates to the sewer system. The DNR wants cities to regulate and lower the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water in an effort to improve the quality of the water.

John Boecker, who is the wastewater treatment plants operator, said this process began when he first started.

"Back when I started out here in 2014, that's when the talk on water quality first started," Boecker said. "They were pushing for nitrogen and phosphorus removal."

The reason these nutrients need to be taken out is due to algae growth. For the algae, it's really the best-case scenario when it comes to nitrogen and phosphorus. As of right now, though, there's not a limit on phosphorus, but we do have to test it. "

Although they currently don't have to test the phosphorus levels, Boecker believes it will soon be required.

While the planning and upgrades are closing in on the finish line, several steps still have to be taken.

Disinfecting, which involves E. coli, still is two years from the start date. It's set to begin on Nov. 1, 2023.

COVID-19 has not helped the situation either. The new regulation upgrades have been pushed back by about three years, according to Boecker.

"The coronavirus definitely slowed things down for us,“ Boecker said. "It's slowed down approvals for specific things, especially when we were in lockdown. "

The treatment facility is currently a 1MGD (1 million gallons per day) plant. The facility is rated as a Level 3 treatment plant, but after the northern treatment plant shuts down and the upgrades are complete, the southern plant will become a Level 4.

Boecker said that the process is essential and that the job is more than just running a plant.

"We got a pretty good handle on what we need to be doing," Boecker said. "We know what the plant will do. There's quite a bit to it to keep the thing going. You can run a plant, but treating it well is the important part. For treating the phosphorous, we're going to have to buckle down a bit more for."

Comments: hunter.moeller@southeastiowaunion.com