Curtiss gets clarity on WWTP plans
By Neal Hogden
The Curtiss Village Board met with a representative from its engineering firm, CBS Squared at its monthly meeting on Tuesday. The meeting served as a time for board members to ask questions of Jon Strand of CBS Squared regarding the village’s plans for treating phosphorus at the wastewater treatment plant.
Strand answered the board’s questions about the plant and provided some insight into what engineering decisions were being made to help the village with their phosphorus management. The Wisconsin DNR created “The Phosphorus Rule” in 2010 which was designed to get publicly owned entities with surface water in compliance within seven to nine years with new, lower phosphorus limits.
The change meant entities like the Village of Curtiss had to work with the DNR to ensure new practices got the village under the desired threshold for phosphorus limits. In June of 2023, the DNR notified Curtiss it was out of compliance with the DNR’s phosphorus rule and needed to take action ASAP to get back in compliance.
Strand explained that Curtiss’s program involved using ferric sulfate to treat the water for phosphorus. The building that will house the ferric sulfate is what Strand was there to talk to the board about. He explained that the ferric sulfate is a very corrosive material and therefore, the building needs to be carefully built to ensure the material is housed and used in a safe manner.
See CURTISS/ Page 8 Curtiss
Continued from page 1
Strand told the board that the main features of note with the building are the fact that a semi-trailer can unload at the building which is essential to keeping the cost of the ferric sulfate to a minimum. He also said that the electrical components needed to be kept out of the corrosive area so the electrical components are kept on the outside of the building.
Strand also said the 6,000-gallon ferric sulfate tank has to be a double-walled tank to meet the DNR requirements for spill prevention. Due to the corrosive nature of the chemicals used in the plant, Strand said the village also needed a safety shower within the plant. He said Public Works Director Larry Swarr had influence on much of the project but said he specifically helped with the shower portion of the designs.
Strand went on to tell the village that the construction of the building is just the beginning of the village’s plan to control phosphorus levels.
“The building is the first phase of your phosphorus treatment requirements,” Strand said. “Using chemical addition will get us down to the 1.0 [mg/L] limit. We know that in the future, the DNR is going to lower that limit to 0.075. The chemical will not be able to get it down to the .075 but its the first step in the process.”
Strand said the building would be able to be added on by cutting in a door where there would be a wall designed. He said the next step for the village’s control of phosphorus would be to install a cloth disc filter. The village has already ran a pilot test using the filter and Strand said it was, “very effective.”
The village asked Strand what the actual oversight of the project would look like in terms of the communication between the contractor, consultant and village.
Strand said he encourages owner participation and input throughout the project. He said there would be days that both he and Swarr would need to be present for but implied Swarr and the village employees can be as present as they deem practical during the process of construction.
Strand could not provide a cost estimate for the building and funding options which could include applying for clean water funding through the DNR. The village will be working with Abbyland to build and help pay for a portion of the plant as they are a major contributor of phosphorus and wastewater in general within the village. The board worked on a draft letter to send to Abbyland later in the meeting.
