Council OKs $400,000 in wastewater plant repairs
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

A City Council measure approved Tuesday won't actually be flushing dollars down the drain, but rather using dollars to make sure the drains flush.

The $400,000 rehabilitation of a 1963 clarifier at the city's wastewater treatment plant will bring the unit back into compliance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality standards.

"We had reviewed the need to rehabilitate the clarifier prior to the TCEQ inspection (which determined it was in violation)," City Manager John Steelman told Council. "TCEQ has now put this project in the fast lane."

Project funding won't be from tax dollars or even former tax dollars now sitting in the municipal general fund. Instead, Alcoa dollars - more specifically, excess Alcoa dollars from a contract to extend water lines to the Westhills addition following the discovery of contaminated ground water in the area in 2004 - will pay for the project.

"We've got to do it (the rehabilitation) anyway since it's in violation," Steelman said, adding the ability to use excess Alcoa dollars is a bonus.

"This way everybody who flushes a toilet will benefit from it," he added.

Tuesday, City Council approved the engineering contract with O'Malley Engineering to proceed with the project.

Citizens in El Campo should not expect any disruption in services while the sewer plant is under rehabilitation.

The city, Steelman said, is actually in a unique position.

"We actually have two independent sewer plants at the waste water treatment plant," he said. "The plant is in excellent condition as far as operation."

With the rehabilitation, city staff anticipate the unit will remain operable for another 30 years.