Front Royal ponders additional upgrades to WWTP or Intake-Inflow system

“Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in again” – is a famous and somewhat colorfully-delivered Hollywood film reference to membership in an organized crime family. At its December 3 work session the Front Royal Town Council got a similarly unhappy and colorfully-delivered message from Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Timmy Fristoe.

That message was that after completing $40 million in upgrades to the Town’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) council is staring at another $21 million in costs for “Phase Two” of plant upgrades.

Wait, what – WHY so soon for another major expenditure, town taxpayers might ask.

WWTP Manager Timmy Fristoe summarizes the state of the Town’s wastewater intake and outflow. The past year’s heavy rain accumulation has pushed the system to the edge of new expenses – how much remains to be seen. Photos/Roger Bianchini

As Fristoe explained it is because when the Town was staring at federal and state-mandated WWTP upgrades in 2008 to help cleanup the Chesapeake Bay watershed in an effort to preserve the Bay’s billion-dollar-plus fishing industry, the original cost estimate to meet State Department of Environmental Quality guidelines was $60 million.

Unable or unwilling to hike taxes enough to meet that cost at the time, the town government negotiated removal of some components of suggested upgrades to reduce the cost to a more palatable $40 million.

And now that the $40-million upgrade is completed the necessity of adding that deleted $20 million of previously deleted components has raised its expensive head, Fristoe told council.

The reason the issue has arisen so close to completion of the first phase of WWTP upgrades Fristoe and Town Manager Joe Waltz explained, is that the exceptionally rainy season the area has experienced over the past year has pushed the town system near the DEQ trigger point for the phase two WWTP upgrades to kick in.

But wait, Fristoe and Waltz explained there may be an alternative solution available – improvements to the town-wide storm and ground water Intake and Inflow (I & I) infrastructure system. Under a consent order from DEQ on that system, the Town recently commissioned a study of its I & I infrastructure. The estimated cost of I & I upgrades it is hoped would pull the Town back from that DEQ WWTP “trigger point” on phase two upgrades is $10 million.

Yea, what that says – and save about $11 million, at least for awhile.

Having experience with I & I issues from his time as the Town’s Public Works Director, Vice-Mayor Eugene Tewalt observed that Intake and Inflow infrastructure has long been an issue for the Town. Tewalt said he believed a $10-million expenditure to correct long-standing Intake and Inflow infrastructure problems that could help push back the necessity for $21 million more in upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant was a preferable path for council to pursue.

In response to a consensus in that direction, the town manager said he would prepare a work session presentation on the I & I plan being developed from the recent study of the system – “I think you’ll be pleased with what we’re doing,” Waltz told the mayor and council.
The precise numbers presented by Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Fristoe indicated the Town saved $16,920,000 by reducing the scope of its WWTP upgrades a decade ago. Currently the estimate to add those removed components is $21 million – $3 million for design and $18 million for construction. That is a net loss of $4,080,000.

But with Intake and Inflow infrastructure already on the table for upgrades, the coming staff presentation on the estimated $10-million implementation of that plan could help keep Front Royal from reaching that DEQ trigger point for the additional $21 million in wastewater treatment plant upgrades – but for how long?

That may depend on – take your pick: the weatherman, climate scientists, God or those nefarious cloud-seeding planes some believe the deep state is utilizing to control our weather to whatever nefarious ends, including apparently raising Front Royal’s tax rates and burning California to the ground.

Watch the discussion here:

Download the Powerpoint presentation here: