5.3. SR 11-24-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Howard R, Green Company November 19, 2003 File: 808750J-0325 Mr. Pat Klaers City Administrator City of Elk River 13065 Orono Parkway Elk River, MN 55330 RE: WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PROJECTS Dear Mr. Klaers: As requested, I have prepared this correspondence to give further explanation of the two major projects that Gary Leirmoe, Chief Operator, and myself have recommended be undertaken at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in 2004. The two projects, as you will recall, are replacing the digester cover and reconstructing the head works of the WWTP. The digester cover project has been on the WWTP's capital improvement program for a number of years. The existing cover has basically been limping along, and Gary and I believe it is time to replace it before it fails and we are forced into an emergency repair. The estimated construction cost of this project is $500,000. There potentially may be slightly more expense as we uncover the digester structure itself and determine the condition of the piping and concrete vessel. If we find any infrastructure inside the digester in need of replacement, now would be the time to make those repairs while the facility is down and the cover is off. It is impossible to project exactly what we will find, but Gary remembers being in the structure several years ago, and the condition of the pipe was deteriorating. The head works replacement is a much larger project. The head works is the point where sewage flow enters the WWTP. It consists of grit removal and bar screen facilities within a building. The existing head works is from the plant expansion in the mid-1970's, so it is approximately 30 years old. Since the East Elk River project, there are now three major lift stations that pump directly into the WVVTP: the new lift station in East Elk River, the lift station located at Evans Avenue and Main Street, and the lift station along TH 10 east of the Chamber of Commerce building. There have been a few occasions where these three lift stations have pumped more effluent into the plant then the head works could handle, causing isolated flooding problems. As the City continues to develop, this problem will only continue to get worse. Therefore, we are recommending that the head works be replaced at this time. We would recommend a two-step process in the design and construction of the head works. The first step would be to do a preliminary design, ending in a written report that summarizes the proposed improvements and provides a much better estimate of construction cost. The head works preliminary design must accommodate the ultimate WWTP flow. In order to get to this point, we will need the Ltr-111803~Klaers 1326 Energy Park Drive · St. Paul, MN 55108 · 651/644-4389 fax 651/644-9446 toll free 888/368-4389