Williams sewer plant going green

Construction of the new Williams wastewater treatment plant hasn’t begun, but energy-saving equipment included in the design has begun to pay off.

City Administrator Chuck Bergson said Williams qualified for Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s nonresidential new construction program that gives the city a rebate for incorporating energy-efficient strategies into the project.

Bergson said some of the measures planned for the new sewer plant includes using premium efficiency motors, low pressure ultraviolet disinfection and other energy-saving technology.

A study of the new treatment plant operation and equipment indicated a five-year energy savings to PG&E, resulting in a rebate to the city in the amount of $80,000, Bergson said.

The rebate will be applied toward construction costs.

Syblon Reid, a Folsom company specializing in large construction projects, has been contracted to build the plant for $12.6 million, but the city is still finalizing a loan from the state.
Bergson said he expects the loan to be approved sometime in October, about the same time stimulus money from the federal Recovery Act is awarded.

“We are in front of the line for a crack at that money,” Bergson said.

The sewer plant improvements will include an upgrade of the existing pump station, construction of a headworks, construction of a secondary treatment system – including a new aeration basin – a secondary clarifier, new tertiary filtration facilities, an equalization basin and two pump stations.

The project will also include structures for housing motor control equipment and a new office building.

The City Council said Wednesday that Williams may eventually take energy-saving measures further by utilizing solar power at the plant.

A presentation on solar power is planned for a future council meeting.
Councilman Don Barker said the sewer plant will likely use the most power during daytime hours.

“The beauty of solar power is that it’s during the high time when solar energy really becomes a benefit to you,” Barker said.

Construction of the new plant may begin as early as mid-October, Bergson said.