More big news for Hornell infrastructure
The City of Hornell announced Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) received $1,250,000 in a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) at their November Board of Public Works meeting. The award will be used to complete several necessary upgrades to the plant known as Phase 1B. Phase 1A work has already commenced with upgrades to the ultraviolet disinfectant scheduled for completion in May 2023.
“An integral part of the sewer sanitation system is the water pollution control plant. We trust that pollutants are removed and water treated appropriately. It’s a system that runs constantly and can easily be taken for granted. We are especially grateful for these CDBG funds to provide the necessary upgrades to keep our system operational and up to date. These infrastructure investments are crucial for our city,” stated Mayor John Buckley.
“The City of Hornell’s largest environmental recycling project is the Water Pollution Control Plant. Phase 1B will be used to upgrade a lot of old or broken equipment at the plant. We will be rebuilding three sewage pumps that have been in use since 1968, as well as rehabbing the anaerobic digester system which has been down for quite some time. This will help to circulate gas, which will allow equipment downstream to last longer. Also planned is a replacement of the return pumps,” noted operator Rich Dunning. “Other improvements include automatic depth blanket detection and valve turners. There have been generations of technological improvements with this equipment compared to what we have currently which will make our plant run more efficiently,” continued Dunning.
“The $1,250,000 CDBG grant for the Water Pollution Control Plant renovations is a testament to the City of Hornell’s vision for maintaining high public health standards for its residents. Upgrades to the aging equipment will continue a multiphase renovation of the Water Pollution Control Plant,” stated Commissioner Joseph Liberto.
The Water Pollution Control Plant provides services to the City of Hornell, Village of North Hornell and parts of Hornellsville, servicing a population of approximately 10,000 people. The plant processes an average of 2.7 million gallons of polluted water a day with a maximum capacity of 4 million gallons. An average year may see a return of 700 million gallons of water safely returned to the water shed protecting some of our greatest water resources including the Canisteo River and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.
