2023 Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade

The Village of Edgar is located about 15 miles west of Wausau, Wisconsin.  It was platted in 1881 along the route of the Milwaukee Lake Shore and Western Railroad between Wausau and Marshfield.  It became incorporated as a village in 1898.  The population was 1,479 in the 2010 census.

 The Village of Edgar has had a wastewater collection system in place since the late 1930s.  Most of the original sewers are still in place and in use.  Structures from the 1930s at the WWTF are still in use at the current facility.  Significant construction at the WWTF occurred in 1970, 1982, 2008, and 2009.  Some of the existing structures at the WWTF need repairs.

 In 2016, the Village began the facility planning process to address to address the new ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus limits.  The options evaluated included a new WWTF, regionalization with Marathon City, and regionalization with the City of Wausau.  Costs ranged from $15,000,000 to $30,000,000 in today’s dollars.

In October 2019, the Village became eligible for the multi-discharge option.  In addition, in December 2019, the WWTF discharge permit was reissued with a total maximum daily load for phosphorus of 313 lb/year (1.0 lb/day, 6-month average).

 In 2019, Cooper Engineering prepared a facility plan amendment to conduct a more in-depth review of the condition of the existing facility with the goal of determining a more cost-effective option of addressing the WWTF needs now and in the future.  During this planning, the Village also identified the Thomas Hill Lift Station as needing replacement, the Redwood Lift Station pump replacement, and four sections of sanitary sewer needing replacement.

The Village of Edgar submitted an ITA for fiscal year 2021 to assist with financing for a WWTF upgrade.  At the same time, the Village also worked with USDA – Rural Development to obtain a financing package they could work with.  During the time the Village was developing the project, USDA-RD offered a financing package that was favorable to utilizing only USDA-RD funds and the Village chose to pursue this option.

The events of 2020-2022 slowed progress on finalizing plans and financing, but more importantly, greatly increased the cost of construction.

The Village bid the wastewater treatment plant upgrade project in late 2022, and the bid price was $7,916,000, more than twice the 2021 estimated cost.  The total estimated cost for the WWTF project is $9,000,000 including (construction, construction contingency, engineering, and administration).  The Village has requested additional funding from USDA-RD however, RD is in the process of implementing the Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) and is unable to commit additional funds at this time.  Currently, RD is unsure of how implementation of BABAA will affect the project that was already bid, and if BABAA will apply to the entire project or a portion of the project and how that portion would be determined.

The Village also opened bids on replacement of the Thomas Hill Lift Station on January 4, 2023.  The estimated cost was $190,267 and the bid was $282,000 (engineering contingency and administration) bringing the project cost to $353,200.  In addition, the Village has plans to complete sanitary sewer replacement at four locations within the Village at a 2023 estimated cost of $3,350,000.