The City of Grand Junction will host the groundbreaking for the Phase 1 of the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion at 2145 River Road on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 10 a.m.
The groundbreaking kicks off construction of the Phase 1 Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Project which will revitalize critical infrastructure at the plant and expand the capacity from the current 12.5 million gallons per day to 15.0 million gallons per day. The capacity expansion will serve the needs of the community for the next 20 years based on projected population growth and development identified in the One Grand Junction Comprehensive Plan.
The Phase 1 Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Project includes rehabilitating the headworks building with new screening and process equipment; construction of a new electrical building; construction of a new dewatering building and biosolids storage area; construction of two new aeration basins and blower building; and construction of a second ultraviolet disinfection system. The project will replace aging infrastructure, reduce the volume of biosolids that are hauled offsite for disposal, make the wastewater treatment plant more energy efficient, enhance safety features, and improve redundancy and resiliency.
The project was authorized by the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County for the benefit of current and future customers of the Persigo Joint Sewer System. The total cost for the Phase 1 expansion project is estimated at $80.5 million. With $15 million in reserves to be used for the project, the city has issued low interest rate bonds to finance the remainder of the project.
Planning for the revitalization and expansion of Persigo has been underway since 2019. Following the development of a master plan, engineering design, and contracting with a construction manager/general contractor, the project is now ready to proceed. The contractor will begin initial site work in February and construction is expected to continue through December of 2025.
The Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant was originally commissioned in 1984. Revitalization and capacity expansion are necessary to address anticipated service area growth and aging infrastructure and to improve the efficiency of the plant.