1. Notice of Scoping for Wastewater Facilities Plan for the Town of Fairfield

Project Title: Wastewater Facility Plan

Municipality where proposed project might be located: Fairfield

Project Location: One Rod Highway, Fairfield

Project Description: The Wastewater Facility Plan proposes improvements to the town's wastewater treatment infrastructure.  The Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) has a design annual average flow rate of 9 million gallons per day (MGD) and a peak flow rate of 24 MGD and currently processes an annual average flow rate of 8.64 MGD with peaks over 33 MGD. The WPCF was originally constructed in 1950 and was expanded in 1968 and 1972 to meet the needs of a growing town and expansion of the sewer collection system.  Additions were made in 1980 to improve bio-solids dewatering and a composting facility for beneficial reuse of plant sludge was added in 1988.  In 1996 and 2002, modifications to the plant's aeration system were completed to allow the plant to achieve nitrogen removal per the permit.  In the past 5 years, flows have been increasing and the WPCF has been receiving flows greater than 90% of the design flow rate for the previous 180 days consistently since Aprils 2017 and intermittently prior to that.

The study evaluated alternatives for providing improvements to the existing WPCF to meet the long-term needs of the town.  The evaluation considered current regulatory requirements, the age and condition of the existing equipment, the capacity of existing unit processes to meet projected flows and loads, and process reliability.  Major components recommended in the plan include the following:

• Improvements to preliminary and primary treatment facilities including the replacement of the mechanical bar screens, installation of screenings grinder/washer/ compactors, construction of new aerated grit tanks and a grit washer, a new raw sewage pump station, process and structural improvements to the primary structures to improve flow splitting to the primary settling tanks and to the Zone A aeration tanks. 
• Improvements to the secondary treatment processes, including modifications to the aeration system by converting the Zone A tanks to three train operation, structural modification to facilitate the passing and removal of scum, installation of three new aeration blowers, optimization of aeration controls and methanol feed, replacement of mechanisms and drives in the final settling tanks, and improvements to process reliability and improved energy efficiency. 
• Improvements to effluent disinfection and pumping including installation of new UV disinfection in a second redundant channel, new outfall pumps to handle peak hour flows and a new plant water system.
• Improvements to the solids handling system to account for increased flows and loadings including the installation of two screw presses, a mixing system in the secondary digester, new pumps, piping, boilers, and heat exchanger in the primary digester, a new cover on the secondary digester and two new sludge storage tanks for use during periods of high loadings to maintain the required SRT in the digesters.
• Improvements to the compost facility to improve operator health and safety concerns including installation of negative aeration to reduce emissions within the building and new process and electrical equipment.
• Improvements to existing Building Systems including modifications to the existing Control Building to address HVAC control issues, upgrades to specific HVAC equipment to replace items that are approaching their service life or are currently inoperable, and addressing code-related ventilation, egress and electrical classification issues in specific spaces such as the Primary Settling Tanks, Dewatering Building, Return Sludge Pump Room and Control Building.
• Improvements to the Control Building including expansion to the men's locker room, lavatory and break room.
• Upgrading the instrumentation and controls and SCADA system.
• Replacing the older electrical distribution equipment that was constructed prior tot he 2000 upgrade and modifying the remaining electrical distribution system as required based on process modifications to the facility.
• Install new odor control systems for all process areas and refurbish Biofilter B to be maintained for the compost building exhaust.

Draft Facilities Plan: View the draft Town of Fairfield Wastewater Facilities Plan.

Project Map:  Location map of the Town of Fairfield WPCF.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on December 7, 2017.  

There will be a Public Scoping Meeting for this project:

Written comments and/or requests for a Public Scoping Meeting should be sent to

If you have questions about the public meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, contact:

 If you have questions about the public meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, please contact Ms. Straut as directed above.