The Peru Gazette

Wastewater Treatment plant

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Water-Sewer-Parks department Garage

By John T. Ryan 

Peru – Peru recently completed a much-needed multi-million dollar upgrade to its sewage collection system; however, there’s more work to come. Planning is well underway for a state-mandated upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant. The primary focus will be installing a UV disinfection system to bring coliform counts into conformance with effluent disinfection requirements. Planned improvements would also reduce phosphorus levels, replace or repair 30-year-old processing equipment, repair existing roofs, provide lab space, and upgrade the department’s work environment. If the plans are approved, it is estimated to cost $25.5 million. The town has secured grants totaling $2.9 million from the NYS Water Quality Improvement program and applied for $18.5 million, including a $11.4 million IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) grant. If all goes as planned, construction will begin in 2026. 

Water/Sewer Parks Superintendent Courtney Tetrault commented, “The town built its current water treatment plant in the mid-90s with no debt to the taxpayers. Right now, we qualify for hardship funding. We want to maximize the funds we can get with available grants.” Supervisor Brandy McDonald added, “If we don’t get the grants, we will have to scale back to the minimum.” One of the town’s primary challenges is the sewer district’s relatively small size, with just under 600 users having to pay for the project.  

Tetrault’s staff currently operates in a decades-old Cross Street building that once housed the highway department. Tetreault said it needs more storage, the offices are cramped, and there are no lockers or showers. It’s common for an employee to go home driving his/her personal vehicle to clean up after working on a sewer line break.

The project will include a building outfitted with equipment to retreat wastewater before it undergoes UV disinfection. Tetrault would like to move his offices and personnel to administrative offices in that building. The building would incorporate a locker room, showers, and a five-bay garage to house the department’s trucks. He would use the Cross Street building for storage.