Construction of the Biosolids Improvement Project is currently underway and on-schedule at Windsor’s Wastewater Treatment Facility. Construction began in January 2022, and it is expected to be completed early summer of 2023.
Windsor’s wastewater treatment is a multi-step, highly technical process. It happens continuously and on a large scale. In 2021, Windsor’s plant processed over 655 million gallons, which is equivalent to approximately 993 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Once treated and disinfected, the clean water is then returned to the Poudre River.
The biosolids treatment process functions in conjunction with the liquid treatment processes at the facility, but it’s a unique secondary process. The biosolids treatment process impacts how organic waste material is removed from wastewater, processed and stored. These organic materials are removed by a third-party so they can be used by farmers as fertilizer for crops that are not for human consumption. Upon completion and implementation of the Biosolids Improvement Project, the new process will be more environmentally friendly and sustainable as the volume of biosolids produced will be greatly reduced compared to the current process. Additionally, the new biosolids area will have a smaller footprint, providing additional site space for future plant growth.
“We’re excited to bring this project on-line,” said Wastewater Treatment Facility Superintendent Dennis Markham. “It’s going to modernize how we deal with the organic waste materials created during the treatment process .”
The biosolids treatment area will consist of aerobic digesters and a dewatering building. Foundations for both buildings have been placed, and the digester walls are 50 percent complete. Steel reinforcement and concrete placement will continue for the digester and dewatering building through July, in addition to leak testing and backfilling. The majority of the major equipment has been procured, and cost escalation has been relatively minimal.
The Biosolids Improvement Project is, in a sense, a stepping stone for future changes at Windsor’s Wastewater Treatment Facility. The current facility was constructed in 1995 and recently has been operating at 78% of its permitted organic capacity. To continue to meet the wastewater needs of the community and discharge clean, safe water into the Poudre River, the town is preparing for the construction of a new treatment facility within the next three to five years. The new facility will be built adjacent to the current facility, using space the town’s current biosolids process is using. After an in-depth analysis of the anticipated regulatory framework, it was determined that building a new plant for all of the Town of Windsor’s treatment needs will be more fiscally responsible than simply adding capacity to the existing plant.
Windsor’s wastewater treatment is financed through a flat rate on utility bills that goes toward the cost of collecting and treating wastewater to meet all federal, state and local standards before it is released back into the Poudre River. Learn more about Windsor’s Wastewater Treatment Facility at windsorgov.com/wastewatertreatment.