News
Russellville awarded $350K grant to upgrade city sewer plant
Posted on May 4, 2023
Originally published in the Times Daily.
A $350,000 grant will allow the Russellville Water and Sewer Board to make needed upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant and better serve its residential and commercial customers.
The grant money was provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission, according to an Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs news release.
The project will bring an inactive wastewater holding pond back into service through the replacement of pipes and lines. and new aeration equipment.
Eric Hill, the general manager of the Russellville Water and Sewer Board, said the grant will be used in conjunction with $694,000 in local funds to make the improvements. The total cost of the upgrades is $1,044,000, Hill said.
Hill said the project involves making improvements to a holding pond that the water and sewer board had to take offline.
“We’re going to upgrade that holding pond and upgrade our headworks,” Hill said. “That will get us bumped up significantly.”
Hill said the plant’s “headworks” is where wastewater enters the facility. It was installed in 1997 and is being impacted by flushable wipes, which can clog pipes and damage pumps.
“We want to catch them before they get in,” Hill said.
The holding pond will be upgraded and aeriated and placed back online, which will increase capacity.
He said the current capacity of the wastewater treatment facility is rated at 4.95 million gallons per day. Once the upgrades are completed, the facility’s capacity will increase to around 11 million gallons per day.
Hill said industries want to know how much water the city can provide and how much wastewater they can process. He said the board wants to be able to provide more capacity to new industries and existing industries that want to expand.
Those expansions typically involve an increased demand in water and wastewater treatment.
The facility serves 2,552 residential customers and 616 commercial customers.
“The upgrade and expansion of the Russellville sewer treatment plant will ensure that the growing needs of both residents and businesses are met, as well as being a benefit for future economic development,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a release. “I commend the Russellville Water and Sewer Board for taking this step to serve its customers, and I am pleased to announce this grant to help complete this project.”
Hill said the water and sewer board is also seeking State Revolving Fund money to make additional improvements to its systems.
Mayor David Grissom thanked the governor and ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell for helping the city secure the ARC funds.
“We are very thankful for the grant,” the mayor said. “We had a lot of letters of support.”
Letters of support came from G&G Steel, Southeastern Commercial Fabrication, State Rep. Jamie Kiel, the Franklin County Development Authority and Russellville City Schools.
Hill said the design work for the project is completed and they’re looking at the equipment that will be needed.
He said bids will likely be opened sometime in September and the project should be completed by May 2024.