By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The future needs of the City of Brighton’s wastewater treatment plant are being explored.

City Council and staff discussed the needs of the City’s utility system, primarily wastewater, at a Council retreat held in January. The presentation on asset management is said to have pointed out some of the larger areas of the Wastewater Plant and Third Street lift station that will need attention in the near future.

The plant is 33 years old and 13 sewer lift stations are between 20 and 50 years old. Some upgrades were done in 2002 at a cost of $9 (M) million. The presentation showed many areas in need of repair, equipment replacement or upgrades.

An update in the Brighton Bulletin stated that while the City has made some forward movement on repairs, the repairs have been relatively minor in the overall health of the plant. It says as staff is considering how to proceed with repairs that could be affected by future regulatory requirements of a discharge permit, they feel getting a more comprehensive look into the overall condition and processes of the plant need to be done by an outside source that has dealt with the latest industry requirements and technologies.

Staff has since requested funds in the upcoming 2021/2022 budget with the objective of having an engineering evaluation and recommendations to provide information they may not be familiar with. The goal is for staff to have enough direction from the evaluation to be comfortable knowing that any future maintenance projects performed will be done in line with permit requirements.

A link to the presentation on future needs can be viewed through the link.