Council gives go-ahead to plan wastewater treatment plant project

McCOOK, Neb. - During the latest McCook City Council meeting, Chris Miller from Miller & Associates presented a comprehensive Facility Plan Summary for the Proposed Wastewater Treatment Facility upgrades. The council unanimously voted to allow city staff to submit the completed Facility Plan to USDA-RD for funding consideration, with an estimated cost of $13,436,500.

Although the current WWTF in McCook is operating within compliance with its discharge permit, the aging and outdated equipment pose operational challenges. Additionally, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy has informed the city that stricter limits on ammonia might be included in the next permit renewal. It is anticipated that the WWTF will face more restrictions on the discharge of total nitrogen and total phosphorus as environmental standards become more stringent.

Miller outlined 5 different options with cost comparisons with the recommendation of option #3 which is similar to the WWTF in Broken Bow Neb.

The proposed options along with estimated cost:

1- Improvements to existing RBC/BAF with an estimated cost of $17,706,850

2-Sequencing batch reactor with primary clarifiers with an estimated cost of $13,888,900

3- Sequencing batch reactor with no clarifiers with an estimated cost of $13,436,500

4- Modified Ludzack-Ettinger with existing primary clarifiers and new final clarifiers with an estimated cost of $16,877,950

5- Modified Ludzack-Ettinger with new primary and final clarifiers with an estimated cost of $19,117,200

The completed facility plan has been carefully developed to address both the present and future needs of the McCook WWTF. These proposed improvements aim to provide cost-effective, reliable, and user-friendly wastewater treatment for the next two decades. While funding for this project has yet to be secured, the City plans to submit the Facility Plan to USDA-RD for funding consideration. If public funding is unavailable, an estimated rate increase of approximately $15.60 per month per user would potentially be implemented.

The proposed upgrades would introduce automation to the treatment process, making it more efficient than the current manual system. Councilman Darcy Rambali inquired about the effects of these changes on the employees. According to Miller, while the system would be automated, human oversight would still be necessary, so staffing needs would remain the same.

In addition to approving the wastewater treatment facility upgrades, the City Council also consented to amendment one for the McCook Nebraska Swimming Pool project, extending the completion date to August 2024. Supply chain problems involving electronic equipment were cited as the cause.

The meeting concluded after Mayor Linda Taylor shared a letter from the Noel on Norris Committee, expressing gratitude to the city council and city employees for their invaluable contributions in making the event possible.