Contributed Photo Area residents joined village leaders and federal, state and local officials for an open house Friday celebrating the completion of Gresham’s new treatment facility.
Area residents joined village leaders and federal, state and local officials for an open house Friday celebrating the completion of Gresham’s new treatment facility.
The village operates a continuous discharge aerated lagoon treatment facility, which previously was incapable of meeting water quality standards set by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The upgrades will ensure that the wastewater treatment facility is in compliance with the new permit standards and enable future growth within the community.
USDA Rural Development approved two loans totaling $371,000 to modify the treatment facility with additional treatment processes to meet the effluent limit requirements. Two grants provided an additional $295,860.
“Improving our utility to meet the regulatory requirements and the needs of our customers is a priority,” said Art Bahr, Gresham Municipal Utilities manager. “Without the assistance of grants and loans from organizations like the USDA, projects like ours would not be attainable.”
Gresham Municipal Utilities is the first municipality in the Midwest to apply the “bio-dome” technology. Bio-dome systems are capable of enhancing the efficiency and capacity of existing systems without dramatically increasing capital or operating costs.
Lagoon treatment sites typically lose the ability to remove ammonia when water temperatures drop over the winter. The bio-dome system continues reducing ammonia discharge levels from lagoon operated wastewater ponds over the cold weather months.
Prior to the project’s construction, the village completed a pilot study using the process.
“The village deserves a lot of credit,” said Brian Deaner, USDA Rural Development Wisconsin community program director. “Developing and maintaining a modern infrastructure is essential for the sustainability of our communities. People choose to live in rural Wisconsin for the quality of life it offers, and reliable infrastructure plays a big part.
“This project exemplifies a continued effort on behalf of USDA Rural Development’s mission to be a partner in helping rural communities by providing the assistance needed to build a foundation for a thriving community. We are pleased to have been a part of the project.”
Gresham Municipal Utilities was recognized in Treatment Plant Operator, a national magazine, for its white paper on the pilot bio-dome project. Village officials also did an interview about the project on NPR radio out of Boston.
In the next year the utility plans to make a presentation at the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Conference and to present the project at a national American Public Works Association conference.