$2M will help Parma upgrade wastewater treatment plant

Apr 30, 2023

Village of Parma's Municipal Building located at 117 W Main St.

PARMA, MI – Parma is receiving more than $2 million in federal funds to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant.

The village is receiving a 40-year, $1,512,000 low-interest loan and a $502,000 grant through the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development program to support the infrastructure upgrades, which will replace two pump stations.

Infrastructure Alternatives Inc. is the contracted engineer project. When completed, these improvements will increase system reliability and provide long-term services to village residents, Infrastructure Alternatives Inc. Engineer and Project Manager Jill Harless said.

"As systems continue to age and costs increase, many small communities struggle to fund infrastructure improvement," Harless said. "The village of Parma is excited to work with (the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) and USDA Rural Development staff to help facilitate these critical needs."

Through evaluations in 2018, engineers determined two existing sanitary pump stations are almost 50 years old and have reached a point where they could no longer be maintained to provide a reliable service, Harless said.

"One of the pump stations receives all sanitary flow from the village's collection system and transfers wastewater to the treatment system located approximately two-thirds of a mile – south of the village," Harless said. "Reliable performance of this pump station is critical."

The village was approved for the loan and the grant in 2022. The grant will cover around 25% of the project, with the loan covering the remaining costs, Harless said.

The engineering design is ongoing to complete construction drawings before bids are solicited in this spring. Construction is anticipated to take place this summer, with completion by early 2024, she said.

The project will include complete replacement of the two pump stations and improvements at the wastewater treatment lagoons, Harless said. The new pump stations will include submersible pumps that can be removed from the structure for safer maintenance at ground level or in a repair facility, she said.

The project will also include new control panels and improvements at the lagoons are targeted to enhance performance of the existing treatment process, including the addition of aeration and a new transfer pump.