Columbia Falls upgrading sewer plant after trimming project down
The city's sewage solids get a big squeeze to wring the water out before the solids are hauled to the landfill. Grady Jenkins talks about how the machine that does that works.
Columbia Falls has finalized a project to upgrade its sewage treatment plant, but had to trim back aspects of the project due to bids coming in higher than expected.
The final contract with Prospect Construction Inc. Calls for about $4.28 million in work. The bulk of the funding will come from about $2.7 million in a federal American Rescue Plan Act grant, and $1.2 million in capital from the city’s sewer fund, but the city will also look to borrow about $750,000 in funds through the state’s revolving loan fund. About a half million will go immediately toward the project, the remaining $250,000 for contingencies and change orders, which are typically inevitable on projects like this.
The project calls for expanding and improving the “bioreactor” at the plant and other upgrades. The original bid came in at about $5.125 million, but the city didn’t have the funds, so it was trimmed by about $845,000 in order to get the project on track.
If the city didn’t do something soon, the federal funding would have expired.
The work is expected to be completed by August of 2025.