Open House Held for New Water Treatment Plant
photo by Crystal Reed
City Council members, contractors and water plant employees gathered to cut the ribbon on the City of Sullivan’s new water treatment plant on Thursday, November 16.
•November 22, 2023•
by Crystal Reed
An open house was held at the City of Sullivan’s new water treatment plant in the evening of Thursday, November 16. A ribbon cutting by the Sullivan Chamber of Commerce and Economic Opportunity kicked off the event. Construction on the plant began June 6, 2022.
Commissioner Chuck Woodworth said the planning and designing of the plant began around August 2019 but it took 14 months for the EPA to issue a construction permit because of COVID. At that time EPA employees were working at home remotely.
Woodworth said that the major factor in building the new water treatment plant was several changes with EPA regulations. “Meeting the new requirements would have been almost $9 million and there was not enough room around the old plant to build the new requirements, which was another softener unit,” he said “The condition of the wood frame buildings and several other factors.” Woodworth said the options were to spend $9 million in updates to a 30 year old plant or $12 million on a new plant.