Marathon’s new sewer plant facing delays due to supply chain issues

Supply-chain issues have slowed progress on Marathon City’s new wastewater treatment, which may not be operational until a few months after its projected start-up date in March, village administrator Andy Kurtz told the local utility commission last week.

Kurtz said the contractor working on the new facility, Market & Johnson, has said the motor-controlled systems needed at the plant are on back order, and the vendor is hesitant to provide a delivery date for the components. He said the materials were supposed to arrive in six months, but it will likely take longer.

The contractors are weighing the option of wiring in temporary power and controls, but that will create an added expense the contractors themselves will have to absorb, Kurtz said.

Originally, the village expected to have the new AeroMod treatment facility operational by March, but that’s looking increasingly unlikely, Kurtz said. The plant’s ultraviolet disinfection process needs to be up and running by May 1, he noted.

Because of the delays, the treatment plant may not be operational until June of this year, Kurtz said, noting that the village is doing “everything we can to minimize costs.” The contractors have been working hard to make sure their suppliers deliver their products as close to on time as possible, he said.

Ken Bloom, superintendent of public utilities, said both the old and new wastewater treatment plants need to be running “side-by-side” for a month before the old one can be shut down.

If the project is not substantially completed by September, Kurtz said the village will be out of compliance with an order issued by the Wisconsin DNR. However, he feels like the state agency will be willing to work with the village to make adjustments to the deadline, if needed.

Kurtz said he hopes to get more answers at a construction meeting with the contractors scheduled for next week.

Once completed, the new plant will be able to treat 350,000 gallons of wastewater, compared to 275,000 gallons of wastewater the old plant can treat.

In other business:

Bloom said the new water fluoridation system went online in mid-December, but they started having problems with a chemical feed pump, so the system was shut down temporarily and restarted on January 3. He said the village is collecting water samples for a pilot study to make sure the fluoride concentration levels are steady throughout the day, with the goal of having the system fully functional in February.

Kurtz told the commission that a dispute over a defective lift station may end up in court because the vendor who provided the equipment is failing to answer basic questions about the problems at the facility. He said the village has spent $40,000 proving that it’s not the village’s force main causing the problems, but the vendor is still refusing to accept any responsibility for the equipment vibrating excessively while in operation. Strand and Associates has been brought in as a third party to review the vendor’s shop plans and provide additional data.

The commission approved a $386,131 pay request from Market & Johnson for work done at the new sewer plant. A motion was also approved to request reimbursement for that amount from the Clean Water Loan Fund.

The commission approved a motion to solicit bids for work on Third Street, from Pine to the alley between Walnut and Main streets. The project will involve upsizing water mains and replacing asphalt, curb and gutter and sidewalks. The village will borrow $150,000 to do the work and pay it back over 10 years.

Commissioners voted to appoint village resident David Phillips to the commission. Phillips described himself as semi-retired, with a background in teaching at NTC and Nicolet College, and experience in marketing and sales in the financial and healthcare industries. The village board will need to approve his appointment before it is official.

Kurtz told the commission about a meeting he had attended in Wausau on the subject of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the metro area’s water supply. He said Marathon City does not have a PFAS issue, but he will continue to attend the meetings for informational purposes. The village may be asked to join a consortium and possibly contribute money at some point, he said, but those decisions will be considered in the future.