Silverton officials are already shopping for a new water plant they know will be needed in the future.
During a recent Town Hall hosted by the city , attendees received a clear overview of how the water flows beneath the surface of city streets, and what projects are on tap to make sure that flow continues smoothly.
“Obviously, water and wastewater (infrastructure) are two of our biggest needs; we have to have the water, and we have to get rid of the water,” said Silverton Public Works Director Christian Saxe.
City Councilor Dana Smith broached the topic as it tied into a frequently discussed theme around Silverton, including at the Town Hall: growth. The councilor conveyed that city representatives recently toured the water-treatment plant and have sights set on keeping the infrastructure apace with the need.
During that tour Saxe unveiled a “package plant” that could potentially replace the city’s 60-year-old “Plant 1,” which is nearing the end of its serviceability — and is not serviceable at all during the winter.
“Plant 2,” is a newer facility and can handle Silverton’s peak draw of 3.2 million gallons of water a day. It provides all the city’s water during the inclement weather months.
“We have two (water plants) right now; Plant No. 1 is 60 years old and is too old to be effective during winter months," Smith said. "Thank goodness that is not when we usually need the most water.
“This new plant that we’re trying out will help us figure out a way to buy a similar one, if not that one,” Smith added, stressing that once the city installs a new plant, it will “get us back to being ahead of the curve on water treatment delivered -- fresh water delivered.”
When operating, Plant No. 1 provides about 1.5 million gallons of water per day.
Saxe said the target date for a replacing Plant No. 1 is 2031, and it will more than double the city's total water production.
"The total production for the package plants combined with our existing plant No. 2 is 6.5 (million gallons of water per day), which meets our proposed demand of 6.4 million gallons in the year 2055."
The flipside of the water-flow process has received considerable attention, and city officials believe that has them ahead of the curve handling waste and storm-water.
“Basically, we have a two-pronged approach to our wastewater system,” Saxe said. “We have spent a great deal of money over the past five or six years in doing massive upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant so that it’s able to handle the capacity that we foresee us needing for the medium-range future.”
The second prong involves staving off water seepage into the sewer lines, limiting unnecessarily increases to the volume flowing into the facility for treatment.
“Combined with (facility updates), we are doing the slip-lining projects on a yearly basis, which is we’re basically attacking the oldest sewer mains in town,” Saxe described the sewer line sealing.
The process involves a TV camera system that public works crews run through the lines to determine which pipes are the most susceptible to water intrusion. Once that determination is made, those needing the most attention are lined to limit water permeating the system.
Saxe said the combination of upgrades to the plant and relining of the sewer mains leaves him “very confident that we are in a good position for the wastewater side of things.”
Freshwater is now the main focus.
“If we are able to utilize this package plant system, we can basically install two package plants in less (space than) the current Plant 1, and those plants would be able to treat up to four million gallons of water a day,” Saxe said. “So those two plants alone would exceed the current production of our Plant 2 facility.”
The city is at work updating water, sewer and storm-water treatment master plans, which will provide a clearer understanding of all long-term infrastructure needs.
Additionally, Saxe said city officials have visited other cities using the package plant system, and the reviews are good. He’s confident that it would work well in Silverton, and he’s been proactive in sorting out its feasibility.
“We’ve applied for numerous grants and we will continue to do so to see whatever funding opportunities are out there for us,” Saxe said.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us to make the necessary improvements to that critical infrastructure piece that will allow the city to grow without any concerns of not having water.”
jmuch@StatesmanJournal.com or cell 503-508-8157 or follow at twitter.com/justinmuch
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