The previous plant's infrastructure had a capacity of 3 million gallons per day, which is now up to 4.5 million gallons per day with new buildings and facilities for treatment, solids management and dewatering. There is also a new operations building on-site.
The expansion began in early 2020 and took an extra year to complete due to supply chain issues. The budget, which was initially set at $28 million, also increased to $34 million.
"The commitment to this city and the plant you look at now versus what it was before out here, just a big pasture, is really amazing and something I'm very proud of," Director of Public Works Harper Wilder said.
Robert Defreitas, operator of the wastewater plant, also shared remarks.
"Giving us the opportunity as operators, as managers, to operate a facility that I would call state-of-the-art gives us the ability to sleep better at night, to know that the facility is operating," Defreitas said. "We have the things we need to be successful ... and I look forward to the long run of what we can do with it."
