The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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  • Construction equipment begins early-stage dirt work of the new wastewater treatment plant on South 42nd. (Staff Photo by BILLY HEFTON)

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July 26, 2010

Ground-breaking ceremony for sewer treatment plant set for Aug. 2

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — A ground-breaking ceremony for the new Enid wastewater facility is scheduled for 1 p.m. Aug. 2 at Cherokee Strip Conference Center, with an actual dirt turning to follow at the plant site.

The new sewer plant will be built at 1401 S. 42nd, about a mile south of the current facility.

City of Enid Director of Engineering Robert Hitt said J.D. Strong, Oklahoma’s secretary of the environment, will be the featured speaker at the ceremony, and a number of other state and federal officials have been invited. A story on the development of the new facility will be a feature of the event, and Hitt said the benefits to the city and to the future of Vance Air Force Base will be discussed.

“It’s designed for a 50-year life and the expansions planned could add more capacity,” Hitt said.

After the ceremony Aug. 2, city commissioners and other officials will go by bus to the plant site, where they will participate in an official dirt-turning ceremony, he said.

Enid received a $39.5 million loan from Oklahoma Water Resources Board to pay for the new sewer plant. The city will receive the first five years of interest on the OWRB loan free, based on legislation that created a bond pool of money for communities experiencing growth because of the last Base Realignment and Closure Commission round. Vance Air Force Base received additional duties in last the BRAC round.

Enid residents voted in March 2008 to extend and expand a 1-cent sales tax that has been devoted solely to water supply and distribution. Money generated by the tax still will go to paying water bonds but also will be used pay back the OWRB loan.

Development of the plant has been about a year-long process, although discussion began nearly three years ago. The bid price of the plant is $33,478,000. The new plant will have a capacity of 12 million gallons per day, with a peak flow capacity of up to 36 million gallons per day. That capacity would handle Enid population growth to 66,000. Plans provide for expansion of the plant to handle another 2 million gallons per day capacity would handle a population of 80,000.

Construction is expected to take about 23 months, but Hitt said projections show it may be completed ahead of time.

“It’s a significant project and timely, and it will take two years. I think we will finish ahead of time,” he said.

The process of putting the plant in operation will take some time, he said. The plant will have to be placed in operation, then discharge from the old plant transferred to the new one, which will take additional time, he said.

Crews began construction July 4. Wynn Construction was the successful bidder.

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