<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1bRC1H_19OmcDUL00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1bRC1H_19OmcDUL00" width="1512" height="699" ><figcaption>No5: A ’70s-era aeration tank was retrofitted in Burlington’s last upgrade. Pictured is an example of some of the tank’s structural issues. It will be replaced as part of Stage 1 with a completely new aeration tank in a different location, with this location being used for tertiary filtration. (Photo provided by Burlington, Vt.)</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1vhEN1_19OmcDUL00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1vhEN1_19OmcDUL00" width="1512" height="699" ><figcaption>No6: A ’70s-era aeration tank was retrofitted in Burlington’s last upgrade. Pictured is an example of some of the tank’s structural issues. It will be replaced as part of Stage 1 with a completely new aeration tank in a different location, with this location being used for tertiary filtration. (Photo provided by Burlington, Vt.)</figcaption></figure><p>A long overdue overhaul of the city’s wastewater treatment plants is underway in Burlington, Vt. Considered a once-in-a-generation upgrade, the improvements in this multiyear project have been decades in the making and are essential to creating a more resilient state while also protecting the community’s vital water resources.</p><p>The project technically began in 2018, when the main facility experienced three separate disinfection failures and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system failure because of aging infrastructure. In response, staff leadership put together an initial $30 million bond request based on a 2016 facility evaluation exercise that was required for Vermont wastewater plants.</p><p>“We now know that wasn’t necessarily a comprehensive review,” said Megan Moir, water resources division director for the city of Burlington. “Once the disinfection and SCADA upgrades were complete, our staff and the city’s consultant, Wright Pierce, started the preliminary engineering phase to program the remaining bonding authority.”</p><h2>Creating a plan</h2><p>It was quickly apparent that the funding wasn’t commensurate with the needs, a situation was only compounded by the cost escalations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions about additional growth at the main plant sewer shed and the decision to pursue tertiary treatment in order to meet Environmental Protection Agency and state phosphorus reduction obligations. Moir said that the staff pivoted and split the project into multiple stages so they could move forward with the previously approved upgrades at all three facilities – known as Stage 0 – in July of last year and then pursue a significant upgrade to the main plant in Stage 1.</p><p>In March 2025, the city passed a $124 million bond known as the LAKE bond, so named because it aimed to upgrade aging wastewater and stormwater infrastructure in and around Lake Champlain. Of that amount, $124 million will be used to upgrade a large wastewater treatment plant – a 5.3 Membrane Degasification System plant with wet weather treatment capacity on Lavalley Lane. The upgrades include replacing plant infrastructure that is past its useful life, adding tankage so that additional flow can be treated and adding a new tertiary cloth media filtration system to meet the phosphorous reduction obligations under the Lake Champlain Phosphorous Total Maximum Daily Load.</p><p>“This is not comprehensive, but it is a major treatment plant upgrade that is intended to set us up for future success,” said Martin Lee, water resources engineering manager.</p><p>Matt Dow, director of wastewater facilities, said there are two more stages to the upgrades that have yet to be bonded. Stage 2 will include the consolidation of two service areas through the conversion of the 1.2 MGD East plant into a pump station and pumping the flow to the Main plant, which will effectively decommission the former. Stage 3 will be a comprehensive upgrade of the North plant.</p><p>“Stage 2 is planned in the next few years, stage 3 is further out,” he said. “This overall project has been in the works for the last seven years and continues. It had changed and adjusted over time as more processes and equipment have been found to be obsolete, or no longer adequate.”</p><h2>Challenges occur</h2><p>Burlington has found that looking at the big picture as soon as possible is important to ensure that necessary improvements are not overlooked early in the engineering process. While every community wastewater system is unique and requires a customized solution, Burlington has had many complex issues to work through prior to making decisions regarding final infrastructure design.</p><p>Lee said that the long-term economic benefit of centralizing some of Burlington’s wastewater treatment at the main plant is an example of an engineering evaluation that was not foreseen when work started seven years ago, but by prioritizing critical work that needs to be done promptly, planning the correct long-term solution and avoiding delays helped the process go smoothly.</p><p>Even with careful planning, challenges still occurred at every step of the process. Dow said that the disinfection/SCADA project was the first wastewater construction project for himself and all the wastewater staff.</p><p>Working with the engineer and contractor to operate the facilities while also completing the upgrade was eye-opening, and at times, challenging. That being said, according to Dow, the operational staff learned to adjust and adapt quickly to issues that arose during construction.</p><p>“We have learned that the best laid plans still have issues and challenges that need to be figured out,” he said. “Flexibility and a good relationship with the engineer and the contractor are the most important aspects of dealing with issues that arise during design and construction, but you also have to advocate for what is best for your system and find innovative or creative solutions to make the project successful.”</p></div></body>

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A long overdue overhaul of the city’s wastewater treatment plants is underway in Burlington, Vt. Considered a once-in-a-generation upgrade, the improvements in this multiyear project have been decades in the making and are essential to creating a more resilient state while also protecting the community’s vital water resources.

Burlington embarks on unique wastewater treatment project

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A long overdue overhaul of the city’s wastewater treatment plants is underway in Burlington, Vt. Considered a once-in-a-generation upgrade, the improvement

Burlington embarks on unique wastewater treatment project

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