Assembly approves funds for water treatment upgrade

The borough assembly has approved $75,600 to begin upgrades to the community’s water treatment plant.

Assembly members on Oct. 26 agreed with the administration’s recommendation to move forward with the first phase in a multi-part solution to the ailing water filtration and delivery system. The funds would be used to buy two closed-loop cooling systems valued at $37,800 each.

Tom Wetor, director of public works, explained that treated plant water is used to cool components within the ozone generators, one of the steps in the filtration process. But the water could contain elements that build up over time and clog the passageways of the ozone generators.

The new cooling systems use a fluid that is recycled rather than using treated plant water. That would keep passageways from getting blocked over time, he said.

Ozone, which is injected into the water at the plant, bubbles up and oxidizes iron, manganese and sulfur to form metal oxides that can be filtered out before the treated water is sent to users.

To complete more of the necessary upgrades at the plant, Primozone, the company supplying the equipment, quoted $282,980 for the cooling system, new compressors and other pieces. The compressors are past their suggested lifespan and have never been strong enough for the current ozone generators.

Wetor said Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen recommended starting with just the cooling system and compressors to see if those items address the problem. If not, two other fixes — a power conditioner to filter out anomalies and a deep inspection of the skeletal infrastructure of the ozone generators — would be considered.

The $75,600 approved last week covers just the cooling units; the new compressors will be covered in a separate bid.

Wetor expects the assembly will consider at its next meeting a sole-source procurement from Primozone for the cooling system. He is unsure of a delivery date.