Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements

By October 2015 the District must meet more stringent discharge limits in order to renew its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. This permit is issued to the District by the Water Quality Control Division (WQCD) of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) in compliance with the  regulatory requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Existing Facility

Since its formation in 1965, the District has operated a lagoon system to treat the wastewater it receives from customers.  The lagoon system biologically processes wastewater through aeration of the lagoons, addition of chlorine to remove bacteria, and removal of the chlorine before the effluent is discharged.  This system works very well in meeting the existing discharge permit criteria. However, by October 2015, the District must meet lower discharge limits that the lagoon system is incapable of achieving. The new facility will replace the 45-year-old lagoon treatment process and will be able to treat wastewater to the standards necessary.

Proposed Facility

The new treatment facility will be built on an unused portion of the District's treatment plant site.  This will ensure uninterrupted service to District customers during construction.  The proposed new facility will utilize an "oxidation ditch treatment technology." This treatment process uses a single (or multiple) "ring" structure in which sewerage is aerated, move to clarifying ponds and then treated with ultra-violet light for disinfection before being discharged into Boxelder Creek.

Use of ultra-violet light for disinfection replaces the chemicals currently used for chlorination and de-chlorination of the effluent, provides increased safety for staff, projected cost savings, and is better for the river ecosystem.

The project plan includes consideration of increased growth demands on the District.  The plant site will allow for potential future regulatory change upgrades and growth expansion.

The existing system has provided good service for the past 45 years.  The District is designing the new plant to supply the best long term value for its customers.  New technologies and energy efficient designs will be employed.

Board of Directors - Project Goal, Values and Planning Objectives

At the June 11, 2010 meeting, the Board of Directors adopted the goal, values and project planning objectives for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Replacement Project. The full text of this adoption is below. The full text of this adoption is below.

Boxelder Sanitation District Wastewater Treatment Plant Replacement Project

Adopted by the Board of Directors June 11, 2010

Board Goal: Design, build, and operate a safe, reliable, and fiscally responsible replacement Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) within Boxelder Sanitation District that: 1) exceeds all current regulatory requirements; 2) is adaptable to new processes; 3) expandable for future growth needs.  This goal will be achieved through the following planning values and objectives.

Board Values:  As guiding principles for the replacement of the Boxelder Sanitation District WWTP, the Board of Directors has outlined the following project planning principles to ensure that the District's customers receive a responsible, safe, dependable and long-term value:         

1.     The WWTP should operate within all current discharge permit limits and (reasonably anticipated) regulatory requirements.

2.     The WWTP must provide a high level of sustainability in design and operation.

3.     The WWTP must be expandable to meet the anticipated long-term growth of the District over the lifetime of the facility.

4.     The design for the WWTP should be energy efficient and environmentally conscious.

5.     The design for the WWTP must incorporate best practices for operational safety, efficiency, and security.

6.     The design of the WWTP must provide the District long-term cost efficiencies.

7.     The design, construction, and operation of the WWTP should use qualified local resources as a commitment to local economic development and support for local businesses.

Board Project Planning Objectives:

1.     The WWTP must exceed all existing federal and State regulations for the treatment of wastewater.

1.1 Fulfill all requirements of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment specified in the District's discharge permit.

1.2  Fulfill all requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

1.3  Fulfill all requirements of local and regional regulatory and planning agencies.

1.4  Design the WWTP to allow the opportunities to comply with possible increased regulation.

2      The WWTP must provide a high level of sustainability in design and operation.

2.1 The core infrastructure of the WWTP should have a minimum life expectancy of 30 years.

2.2  The WWTP design must provide for on-site administrative and laboratory facilities.

2.3   The WWTP design must provide efficient land use on the existing site.

2.4  The WWTP design must have the capacity to accommodate seasonal, natural, and unplanned/emergency event influent fluctuations.

2.5  The WWTP design must include high quality materials and equipment to maximize useful life expectancy of the facility.  

3      The WWTP must be expandable to meet the anticipated long-term growth of the District over the lifetime of the facility.

3.1  The WWTP design must incorporate opportunities for expansion within the available site through build-out of additional treatment plant components and process improvements.

4      The design for the WWTP should consider opportunities for use of "Green" alternative power sourcing (including wind, solar, and hydro resources) for plant operations.

4.1  Design will assess, evaluate, and incorporate feasible alternative energy sources and methods.

4.2  Design will assess, evaluate, and use energy efficient materials and equipment.

5      The design for the WWTP must incorporate best practices for operational safety, efficiency, and security.

5.1  The WWTP design must include safety systems, procedures and equipment to protect the facility staff and the natural resources into which the District discharges.

5.2  The WWTP design will minimize the need for use and storage of dangerous chemicals and processes in the treatment of wastewater.

5.3  The WWTP design will include provisions for efficient staffing.

5.4  The WWTP design will provide operational controls to simplify otherwise complex treatment processes.

5.5  The WWTP design will capitalize on automated operational systems (such as SCADA) with redundancies and manual operational capabilities.

5.6  The WWTP design will accommodate a wide range of operational contingencies, including natural disasters and other emergency situations.

6      The design of the WWTP must provide the District long-term cost efficiencies.

6.1  The WWTP design must be consistent with the Board's accountability for fiscal, funding/rate structure, and budget policy.

6.2  The WWTP design must be completed in a timely manner allowing the Board to capitalize on available funding sources and favorable financing costs.

7.     The WWTP design and construction shall consider the use of qualified Larimer County and Weld County businesses, all things being equal, to deliver the replacement WWTP.

8.     The WWTP design and construction process shall use the most efficient methods to ensure a "team" approach is used by all design consultants, architects, construction companies, project managers, engineers, financing, suppliers, inspectors, and other project partners.

Financing the Project

The District submitted a loan application to the Colorado Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund for the plan, design and construction of a new wastewater treatment process, in an amount of 10.8 million dollars. The Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority Board of Directors approved the entire amount applied for on August 25, 2010 for a 20 year leveraged loan at a 2.5% interest rate. The favorable loan terms allow the District to provide long-term cost efficiencies while minimizing financial impact to customers.

The Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority assists water and wastewater utilities with financing their water and wastewater projects by managing several loan programs. The Authority issues bonds to provide State matching funds for federal grants. The Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund provides subsidized leveraged loans to finance wastewater treatment facilities and nonpoint source pollution reduction projects.