Baddour helps break ground for Newburyport's Waste Water Treatment Facility
June 7, 2010 - Joined by Congressman John Tierney, State Rep. Mike Costello, Mayor Donna Holaday, and DEP official Rosemary Powers, Senator Steven A. Baddour (D-Methuen) helped break ground for Newburyport's Waste Water Treament Facility earlier today. In the past year, the Patrick-Murray Administration has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars for critical infrastructure improvements in local cities and towns. In all, local communities are breaking ground this spring on 111 drinking water and wastewater projects, worth $770 million. Those projects are good for the environment and good for our economy.
As part of the 2009 State Revolving Fund (SRF) list, Newburyport is receiving more than $14.6 million in SRF low-interest loans and federal Recovery Act funds to upgrade this treatment plant and move toward a more energy efficient operation here.
Thanks to Congress and the Obama Administration, the city will realize a savings of more than $4.4 million in principle forgiveness through the federal Recovery Act. For the treatment plant upgrade, that money is taken right off the top before it gets financed at 2 percent over 20 years.
Nearly $11.6 million has been awarded to modernize and improve this treatment facility. The upgrades will help to meet the current and future wastewater flows and help to prevent future permit exceedances that would affect water quality in the Merrimack River.
The Recovery Act principle forgiveness for this phase of the project is more than $1.3 million.
Two other upgrades to the plant – green energy upgrades totaling more than $3 million – have also been awarded to Newburyport. And the Recovery Act principle forgiveness for those two green projects is 100 percent – all $3 million-plus will be paid by federal stimulus funding.
The green energy projects will include the installation of 65 kilowatts of solar power here on-site to help run the plant. It will also include energy efficiency improvements to items like the aerators and pumps, the lights, the HVAC system and the building’s insulation and windows.
Since treatment plants are energy hogs, these green upgrades will help to reduce energy used to pump and treat, saving the community thousands of dollars in operating costs, and greatly reducing this plant’s carbon footprint.
