NK moving forward on $27.1 million sewer plant upgrade

New Kent officials plan to shut down one of the county’s two sewage treatment plants and proceed with a $27.1 million project to expand and upgrade the other.

County Board of Supervisors members decided during their March 25 work session to start the bid process on upgrading the Parham Landing Wastewater Treatment Plant off Route 33 west of Eltham from its current 1 million gallon capacity to 2 million. Work on the project could begin as early as July with completion scheduled for December 2010.

The county, meanwhile, plans to close by 2011 its Chickahominy Wastewater Treatment Plant, located near Colonial Downs. Officials say the plant cannot meet its state-allowed discharge requirements, adding that attempting to do so would not be cost-effective.

Also, officials say the Chickahominy plant is in a poor location, being too near the Kentland Planned Unit Development and Brickshire subdivision. Odor problems are bound to detract from the development’s appeal, they say.

Annual cost for operating the Chickahominy plant is over $800,000. Officials say the county can save $260,000 of that figure by closing the plant to all operations except receiving reclaimed water for storage.

As for paying the estimated $27.1 million bill for work at Parham Landing, officials say $22.7 million is already on hand from connection fees paid by the Farms of New Kent Planned Unit Development. The remaining $4.4 million, however, is another matter.

Assistant county administrator Bill Whitley told supervisors that an application for federal stimulus money to complete funding has been turned down. Another path, he said, exists with a state agency, the Virginia Resources Authority.

The $260,000 in operational savings derived from closing the Chickahominy plant almost covers the $285,000 in annual debt service needed to pay for borrowing the $4.4 million, he said.

“We’re basically building a new plant,” county public utilities director Larry Dame told the board, adding sewage treatment processes must be upgraded to meet revised regulations.

The bid process, meanwhile, determines the true cost of the project, Whitley said, adding the current economic climate could result in lower bids. Now is a good time to proceed with the project, he said, since money is on hand, the economy is on a downswing, and companies need the work.