Proposed sewer plant gets favorable environmental report

Shelbyville's new wastewater treatment plant has been given an environmental assessment and a "Finding of No Significant Impact" by the state Department of Environment and Conservation [TDEC].

Funding for the new plant, designed to handle 6.5 million gallons a day, was approved last month by the Shelbyville City Council. The project is estimated to cost around $25 million.

According to TDEC, the state revolving loan fund program has reviewed the facility's plan and concluded that the plan "will not significantly affect the environment."

Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewer manager David Crowell has said that the existing facility has served it's purpose and that the building of the plant is driven by a state commissioner's order.

The current facility has a capacity of 4.9 million gallons a day. It originally handled two million gallons when first constructed in 1957, but was upgraded and expanded extensively in 1977 to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Water Act requirements.

It was expanded again in 1986 with no increase in design capacity. The sewer system entered into a letter of agreement with TDEC in 1991 to begin a sewer system rehabilitation program and in late 2005, a commissioner's Order was issued due to several permit violations.

The violations involved "biochemical oxygen demand limits, total suspended solids limits, fecal coliform limits and settleable solids minimum percent removal limits and overflows in the collection system," TDEC stated.

The Power Board has already voted to pay for the new facility through rate hikes from their customers. According to the TDEC report, the current sewer rate was increased by five percent to finance the project.

"The sewer rates will need to be increased by 5 percent in calendar years 2008 and 2009, and by 10 percent in calendar years 2010 and 2011," the environmental assessment reads. The total incremental annual cost for the sewer project would be $145.20, "which is approximately 0.42 percent of the current annual household median income" for Shelbyville

The Power Board has already purchased 12 acres west of the current facility all the way down to Pencil Street for the facility. Crowell said the new plant would be a three year project and a big improvement for the city's sewer system. The plant will be on the same site and will hopefully eliminate the Lane Parkway odor.