New EPA regulations requiring municipalities to reduce the phosphorus levels in their waste water will require some changes to the City of Vincennes’ Water Plant.
Water Utilities General Manager Kirk Bouchie says they really have no idea at this point what type of capital investment they’re looking at to meet the new requirements. But Bouchie says it won’t be cheap.
The Vincennes Utilities Services Board on Wednesday voted to hire Clark Deetz Engineering to do the design work at a cost not to exceed 100-thousand dollars. Bouchie says the engineering firm is already familiar with the wastewater treatment plant’s operation having worked on previous upgrades to the system,
Bouchie says the new environmental standards won’t take affect until November of 2017.
The Vincennes Utilities Services Board has refinanced the bonds on the wastewater treatment plant. Water Utilities General Manager Kirk Bouchie says they accepted a bid from J.P. Morgan-Chase which locks in the interest rate for the bonds at two-point-14 percent. The previous rate was 3-point-3 percent. Bouchie says by refinancing the bonds it will free up a half million dollars in cash annually. The U-S-B still has just under 15-million dollars remaining on the bonds which were issued back in 2002 to expand capacity at the wastewater treatment plant. Bouchie says they expect to pay-off the bonds in nine years.