Rangely: $1 million sewer grant

RANGELY I Rangely Town Planner Peter Brixius announced Friday that the town received a $1 million grant award for Phase II of the water treatment plant renovation from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) as recommended by the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Advisory Committee.
Rangely currently operates a conventional filtration water treatment facility that processes water diverted from the White River and distributes to Rangely’s 2,300 residents. The oldest parts of the plant have reliably served the town for almost 40 years, Brixius said, adding that “today much of the equipment has exceeded its useful life.”
“Currently, when the town reaches peak demand of just in excess of 2 million gallons per day, the plant is at capacity,” he said.
Phase I is still under construction. Completion of the project restore some redundancy to the water plant treatment process. This redundancy has been missing for the past three years and is critical, considering the town’s peak capacity usage issues in the hottest and driest part of the year.
Phase II, at a cost of more than $2.25 million, will replace electrical controllers, upgrade aspects of the control system software, repair the roof, gutters and downspouts and correct some fractured building concrete and roof trusses, install new valving from the river to the plant and the backwash pond, equip one new filter box and upgrade two others, install an on-site sodium hypochlorite generation system to replace the current chlorine gas cylinders, and finally upgrade the alum storage and feed system as well as the fluoride feed system, Brixius said.
The project is currently being advertised for bid and contractor selection will be made late in September for the Phase II work, he said, adding that the actual work on the project would commence in March.
In 2015. the town will undertake the third and final phase of the water treatment plant renovation at an estimated cost of $1.6 million, Brixius said. At the conclusion of the three phases, Rangely will have a 25- to 30-year life expectancy for the facility, barring any major shift in regulatory requirements and technology.
“The renovation of the existing plant will give us a 4 million gallon per-day capacity,” Brixius said. “The safety of operation and chemical feed systems will help to eliminate some of the risk to the operator’s of the plant and enhance the overall water quality for the consumer.”
Rangely looks forward to the completion of the project, he said, adding that “we are pleased with the help we’ll receive in grant funding from the Department of Local Affairs this year and hopefully again next year.”