A ribbon cutting has been held for a $17.4 million improvement project at the St. Joseph Water Plant.
Representatives of the city of St. Joseph, St. Joseph Township, Lincoln Township, and more were all on hand for Wednesday’s gathering at the plant, celebrating the completion of three years of work.
Water Plant Superintendent Greg Alimenti told us the project included the replacement of “upflow clarifiers” with “inclined plate settlers,” changing how particles are removed from the water. Alimenti said the old clarifiers had reached the end of their service life.
“The old units have been in service for 50 years,”Alimenti said. “They were susceptible to thermal upsets and process upsets and the new units have more capacity and we’re seeing better water quality.”
The project also included improvements intended to boost worker safety, new disinfection and chemical feeds, electric work, pipe replacements, and improved water storage.
City Engineer Tim Zebell told us a major project like this wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of multiple municipalities that get water from the plant. He gives credit to predecessors who formed the Water Service Joint Operating Board.
“What we need is long-term commitments from all our customer base in order to finance these projects, and that has given us a mechanism to do it,” Zebell said. “And I just look forward to working with them in the future so we can continue to deliver clean, safe water to our residents in the most cost-effective manner possible.”
A low-interest loan of about $10.2 from the Michigan Drinking Water Revolving Fund helped pay for the project, along with grants and local funds. Alimenti said this was a once in a generation kind of project that will ensure customers have safe, quality water into the distant future.
Water plant staff led visitors on tours of the facility Wednesday as part of the celebration.
