$3.5 million water plant upgrade will double output
In the near future, more than three million dollars will go into upgrading the City of Hillsboro's water treatment plant.
The upgrade plans have been in the works since the late 1990s. But with the acceptance of a grant/loan package and a new engineering firm on the job, the upgrade appears back on track.
In April, Hillsboro met with Dale Yeager, a representative from the rural development division of the United States Department of Agriculture. He said that the city had been approved for a package of grant and bond money totaling almost $3.5 million.
The city is set to receive $1.55 million from a grant. The rest of the project money, $1.92 million, will be funded by bonds that will be repaid over a 40-year term. The entire project will open for bids at a later time.
So what does $3.5 million mean for the Hillsboro water plant?
First of all, it means that the city will double its water output — from 1.5 million gallons per day to three million gallons per day, according to senior water technician Morgan Marler.
Another solids contact basin — the large outdoor circular structure where solid particles are removed from the water — will be built in addition to the current one, she said. Then domes will be constructed to cover each one.
Inside the plant, two more filters will combine with the three present ones. Much of the electrical system will be overhauled, as will the computer systems.
And on the west side of the plant, the building will be extended, making room for a new underground chlorine contact chamber.
