Winfield wastewater treatment plant not in compliance

WINFIELD — The city of Winfield is preparing to overhaul its wastewater treatment plant with the assistance of a $500,000 grant from the Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program (WTFAP) and State Revolving Fund late this year or early next year.

“The city of Winfield’s wastewater treatment plant has equipment that, unfortunately, is continually failing,” Winfield Mayor Willie Bender said. “We are in non-compliance, currently, with the Iowa DNR for our wastewater treatment plant.”

According to a report from the State Revolving fund, “The wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) is located on a 5.45-acre site on the southeast side of town. The existing WWTF was constructed in 1987 and consists of two aerated lagoons and one quiescent cell. The lagoons currently provide a combined detention time of 22 days under the existing NPDES permitted flows. A building houses two blowers, electrical panels, and office equipment.”

“Wastewater currently enters the WWTF via one gravity main. Wastewater is pumped to the lagoon cells by the Main Lift Station, located at the entrance of the WWTF, via 8-inch PVC force main,” the report states. “During peak flows, staff use a portable diesel pump to alleviate the Main Lift Station pumps and prevent the wet well from backing up into the upstream sewer.”

“We are going to basically fully refurbish our existing plant,” Bender explained. “The only thing that will stay as it is today is our three-lagoon system, but we are basically installing a new wastewater treatment plant.”

“The purpose of this project is to make improvements to the wastewater treatment facilities to enhance their reliability and to replace obsolete system to safely and reliably operate the City of Winfield’s wastewater system for the next 20 years,” the SRF report states.

According to Bender, the city hopes to begin construction in the fall of 2023 or early in 2024.

“The system is substantial,” Bender said. ‘It is going to cost the city approximately $4.5 million.”

Funds for the project will come from not only the $500k grant, but also through the State Revolving Fund.

This fund is a loan program available in the state.

“We have had our construction permit approved by the Iowa DNR and we are soon ready to move forward to get bids from contractors,” Bender explained.

Once the City has a more accurate cost for the project, through bids, they will apply for the State Revolving Funds. At that time, they will also have a better idea of how much of those funds the program will forgive.

“The financial impact to the city and our residents for a project like this is substantial,” Bender said.

“For the next three months at our city council meetings, if residents have concerns or questions, or anything they want to bring before the city council I would recommend that they try their best to try to attend one of our city council meetings or even leave a letter at our city hall office that our city council could review,” Bender encourages residents.

Winfield holds city council meetings the second Wednesday of every month at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com