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A few passing clouds. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.

SPRINGFIELD — The Danville Sanitary District is one of three public wastewater treatment plants to receive a third-round grant for energy efficiency upgrades through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

• Danville Sanitary District, Vermilion County – $260,000

• Village of New Baden, Clinton County – $33,467

• City of Vandalia, Fayette County – $26,773.60

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director John J. Kim announced the award of $346,773.60 in grant funding to three Illinois wastewater treatment facilities as part of the Office of Energy’s Energy Efficiency at Public Water Infrastructure Program. The funded projects will reduce the amount of energy consumed by wastewater treatment operations, thereby reducing energy costs.

“The Energy Efficiency at Public Water Infrastructure Program brings together energy and environmental benefits,” Kim said. “These upgrades will significantly reduce energy waste while optimizing the water treatment process.”

Grant applications were ranked by IEPA based on the energy savings per dollar funded, energy cost impact, energy rate paid by the applicant facility and energy cost to treat one million gallons of wastewater at the facility. Ranking also prioritized those facilities in areas of environmental justice concern. The $346,773.60 in grant funding will be leveraged by an estimated $152,693.40 in matching funds being applied toward the projects from the grantees.

Danville Sanitary District Director Doug Ahrens said the energy efficiency upgrades are part of a project under design, and they hope to seek bids this winter.

The energy efficiency grant will be applied toward the procurement and installation of new aeration blowers, one of the biggest energy uses for the DSD, according to Ahrens.

Ahrens said they also received notice from the IEPA that the sanitary district is receiving $5 million of principal forgiveness for Phase 2 of its $20 million in capital improvements projects. Rate payers will pay toward $15 million of that, Ahrens said.

The approximately $10 million first phase of projects are under construction now to the plant. The sanitary district received about $2.5 million in principal forgiveness with that phase, not to be paid back by rate payers and citizens.

“We’re very pleased with how things are progressing,” Ahrens said.

Phase 2 is work at the plant and Allied sewer that will be turned over the city of Danville when completed. It’s new sewer from the Lick Creek interceptor on South Daisy Lane to Brewer Road that services the Eastgate industrial area.

This will be a two-construction season project around 2024.

The Danville City Council in 2020 approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Danville Sanitary District to increase sewer capacity for future Lynch Road development.

City Engineer Sam Cole previously said the city and sanitary district will split the initially estimated $1.2 million cost to increase the 12-inch sanitary sewer line to an 18-inch line to serve the Eastgate area.

The sanitary sewer capacity issues in that area limited sites for the proposed casino north of the Interstate 74 and Lynch Road intersection.

The agreement is for replacement and rehabilitation of an existing section of the Allied sanitary sewer line owned and maintained by the sanitary district. The city wants to encourage the continued commercial and industrial development in the area between the interstate to Main Street, U.S. 136; Brewer Road to the west and Illinois state line to the east — commonly known as Eastgate Industrial Park.

“The district shall design and construct the capacity upgrade of the 12-inch section of what is known as the ‘Allied Sanitary Sewer Line’ from Brewer Road westerly to the district’s Lick Creek interceptor...,” according to the resolution.

The city would pay, upon completion of the project, costs of engineering for design and construction, including project management and construction.

DSD’s Phase 3 of capital projects is still out two years, Ahrens said.

According to the DSD’s 2035 plan:

Program 1 (2021-2025): $6 million for digester complex improvements (two digesters were constructed in 1935 and an upgrade will allow for National Fire Protection Association compliant entry into the digesters and piping and pumping areas), $3.2 million blower and aeration rehabilitation, $3 million east plant wet weather facility rehabilitation and $1.5 million generators and cogeneration engine (install emergency back up power for the central plant).

Program 2 (2025-2027): $6.1 million for central plant headworks, $3.25 million Stoney Creek interceptor, $2.25 million for sludge processing and $750,000 retention basin liner.

Program 3 (2028-2035): $12 million to $15 million final clarifiers and filtration, $3 million to $5 million biological nutrient removal and $2.7 million for disinfection.

Sanitary District residential customers also received notice recently that the district has switched back to quarterly billing to save on postage and mailings. Ahrens said one bill for three months should be manageable for most customers.

According to the state, the IEPA grants will enable the municipal organizations to make energy efficiency upgrades to wastewater equipment identified by previous energy audits. These grants will save the three grantees 1,834,893 kWhs of energy annually, which translates to significant financial savings. The funds for the grant program are provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program. The previous two funding rounds saved eight municipalities more than 8 million kWh and $650,000 in annual savings.

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