EAST LANSING, Mich. – East Lansing City Councilmembers and City staff participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the East Lansing Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) on Tuesday, Jan. 17 in celebration of the completion of the first of three phases of improvements to the WRRF.
The $15.4 million first phase of the project began in May 2015 and consisted of rehabilitation of the existing tertiary filter process and building, construction of a new ultraviolet disinfection system and building to replace the existing chlorine disinfection system and construction of a new 60-inch effluent pipe to discharge directly into the Red Cedar River at the WRRF site. The project was funded through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s State Revolving Fund. The project contractor is Grand River Construction Company and the design consultants are from Tetra Tech, Inc.
“These upgrades allow us to maintain a high quality of water being discharged into the Red Cedar River,” said WRRF Superintendent Paul Stokes. “The ultraviolet disinfection system is extremely beneficial from an environmental standpoint. Previously we used chemicals to achieve disinfection. With the use of ultraviolet light, there are no residual chemicals being discharged to the river.”
“This is the first phase of a multi-year renewal of the WRRF, which will equip the facility with the latest technology, improve employee safety and have a positive impact on the environment,” said East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas. “We appreciate the hard work of our City staff in overseeing the first phase of this project as well as the two additional phases to come.”
Design work on the second phase of the WRRF project has begun and construction is anticipated to begin in June of this year. The second phase of improvements will include construction of new headworks, screening facilities and grit removal facilities as well as rehabilitation of the two large interceptors that transport flow to the WRRF.