Work is ramping up at Kimball's Waste Water Treatment Plant. News Channel Nebraska was invited to tour the facility northeast of Kimball with Waste water Treatment Plant Superintendent Blake Wagner; Plant Operator Zeb Brown; and the engineer on site is with Olsson Engineering, Surindor Bishnoi.. Earlier this year, the Board of Public Works recommended and the City Council approved a renovation that will cost $3,775,000 over two years. Now, the contractor, Hackel Construction, has moved onto the property, obtained the necessary permits and insurance, and diverted the flow of waste water at the plant that was last refurbished in 2002.

 

Now, in what is the largest piece of new construction, crews are working right outside the existing wall of the plant to install a new channel. The channel that will be in the basement floor of the new structure at the plant will be used to remove trash and debris from Kimball's waste water before it enters the primary plant to be treated. Engineers and city staff agree that the new system will prolong the life of the equipment set to be installed inside plant.

 

After construction of the new structure is complete, the plant will return to full operation later this year. That restart however will be temporary, as the equipment inside the plant will need to be replaced in 2026, causing a second diversion of waste water to lagoons on the property. With a capacity of 500,000 gallons of water, the partially below ground primary structure of the plant requires an enormous concrete structure.

 

The concrete clarifiers will be treated, recoated to preserve the concrete life, and reused with the newly installed equipment. One of the biggest changes will be a move from five blowers that constantly keep the waste water aerated and circulating to just three blowers, one of which will only be a back-up. The new blowers will sharply increase the energy efficiency of the plant. Other equipment that has rusted or corroded will also be replaced.

 

Inside the main building, the master control for the plant will be replaced with modern equipment that will include safety measures not currently available to city staff and contractors. It is also expected to increase energy efficiency. The back-up generator that keeps the plant running in the event of a power outage will be replaced with an outdoor unit that will modernize the operation while freeing up much needed space inside the building.

 

City Administrator Annette Brower told News Channel Nebraska, "The plant was built in 1979 to accommodate 7k-7.5k “population equivalent”, not to be confused with 7500 houses. There is a misconception that we are expanding the plant to expect to grow exponentially and that is incorrect. The plant is already capable of handling waste for a population of 7500 people as designed in ’79 and we are simply upgrading the plant in its current design to prolong the life of the plant. Should town ever see a substantial population growth, we can manage the waste accordingly as we have been. This upgrade will give the plant an expected new life of 25 years."

The current population of Kimball sets below 2500 people. Construction is slated to be complete late next year.