Monterey Hopes For June Groundbreaking For Waste Water Treatment Plant

Monterey has received state approval to move forward with its waste water treatment plant.

Mayor JJ Reels said the goal is to break ground in June and have bids in April 13. Reels said Water and Sewer Supervisor Duane Jarrett told him the new plant could increase capacity by about 50 percent.

“It’s going to allow our growth to start happening because we’ve kind of been on a moratorium for years,” Reels said. “Couldn’t really add more customers, so this will greatly increase our capacity and allow us to start that natural progression of growth in Monterey.”

Reels said Monterey has built up a surplus fund for the project of close to $2 million for the project. The plant will be located at the end of Stewart Avenue.

“It definitely shortens the amount of distance that the waste has to be pumped,” Reels said. “Because right now we’re kind of double pumping stuff, so this will eliminate that. It’s going to be a type of plant aerated more than mechanically cleaned and treated. It’s kind of a gravity process.”

Reels said the plant has been a work in progress since 2013. He said they are looking at a roughly two-year completion date.