City to receive $300,00 for wastewater plant
By Doug Grindle Community Reporter

Marlborough - As Marlborough works to find more than $30 million to construct a new wastewater treatment plant on the west side of the city, the federal government will be chipping to help pay for it.

U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D, announced Dec. 20 that $300,000 will be heading to Marlborough to help finance the plant.

"Jim [McGovern] felt it important to start to demonstrate some federal commitment here," said McGovern spokesperson Michael Mershon, the deputy chief of staff. "Hopefully every little bit helps."

The funding comes from this year's omnibus spending bill, and Mershon noted no special projects were funded in constituencies last year due to wrangling in Congress.

The project is expected to cost between $30.7 million and $47.6 million. The price difference comes because the city does not yet know whether the state and federal authorities will mandate an additional part of the project, which could cost more than $10 million, according to city officials.

That additional part is the so-called groundwater option. It involves building a special facility near the wastewater treatment plant that would filter treated water through sandy beds into the ground, rather than being pumped directly into the nearby Assabet River. Additional processing would also be required at the plant, said Doran Crouse, the Assistant Commissioner for Utilities at the Marlborough Department of Public Works.

The city filed an appeal to state and federal agencies at the beginning of the winter requesting that the groundwater requirement be waived, and the treated water be allowed to go directly into the Assabet River.

The plant, once reconstructed, will process 4.15 million gallons per day, up from its current level of 2.89 million gallons per day.

A decision from the state on the groundwater requirement is expected in January, Crouse said.

The city expects to finalize a design by May, and will then put out bids for the project. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2009, Crouse added, and be completed by December 2013.

Crouse said the process has been delayed slightly by the appeal to the state and federal authorities over the groundwater option.

"We are a little bit behind that due to the uncertainty of that decision on the flow," Crouse said, but he expects the other targets to be met.

The reconstruction of the plant will allow the city to make significant reductions in the particles that flow out of the plant, such as copper and phosphorus. Crouse said the limits will be set so that in the spring, summer and fall, only 0.1 parts per million of phosphates will be allowed in the water stream, while in the winter 0.75 parts per million will be allowed. The lower limit ensures weeds do not receive extra phosphorus in the Assabet River during the growing season, and choke the river.

The city also plans to rebuild the easterly wastewater treatment plant, and construction will begin there after it ends on the westerly side. But the easterly project will ramp up before then.

"While the construction is going on in the westerly plant, then we can start the design of the easterly," Crouse said.

The city is searching for grants, assistance and loans to help pay for the two projects. The City Council voted against floating a $41 million bond at its June 25, 2007, meeting.

According to a city analysis, rates will rise to pay for the projects.

According to a report from the mayor submitted to councilors in March 2007, in the best-case scenario: "The sewer bill for an average single-family residential rate payer will increase from $336 per year to $857."

In the worst case, the report continued: "The sewer bill for an average singlefamily residential rate payer will increase from $336 per year to $1,086."