About the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Project

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Project Details

What the Project Includes

To support the new regional system, several improvements are being made across the participating towns:

  • Retiring older treatment plants in Marion, Macedon, Walworth, and Palmyra, including cleanup and site preparation for future use.
  • Upgrading key infrastructure in each community, such as:
    • New or improved screening systems to remove debris from wastewater
    • Pump stations to move wastewater efficiently
    • New underground pipelines (“force mains”) that carry wastewater to the new regional plant
  • In some locations, existing structures are being beneficially re-used—for example, tanks in Walworth will help balance flows during peak times.

 

 

Features of the New Regional Facility

The new treatment plant in Palmyra will use advanced technology to provide high-quality wastewater treatment. Major features include:

  • Systems to reduce odors and manage incoming wastewater during peak flows
  • Equipment to remove debris and grit before treatment begins
  • Modern biological treatment tanks that clean the water effectively
  • Advanced filtration and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, ensuring treated water is safe before being returned to the environment
  • Facilities to process and reduce solids (sludge), including:
    • Dewatering equipment to remove excess water
    • A specialized drying system that produces Class A biosolids, which can be safely reused for beneficial purposes
  • A dedicated area for handling septage (waste from septic systems) with odor control
  • Fully modern mechanical, electrical, and control systems to ensure safe, efficient operation

 

Forcemain Alignments​

The new pum​ping stations will bring wastewater from Walworth south along Ontario Center Road, to O’Neil Road to the Macedon Pump Station. 

The Macedon pump station will pump all Macedon and Walworth flows easterly through the Macedon forcemain along Quaker Road north of the canal. 

Wastewater coming from Marion will be conveyed south through a forcemain under Route 21.  Both forcemains will discharge at the new wastewater treatment plant site.  

 

How will this affect me as the user?

Project capital cost impacts, as currently estimated, are being addressed by each community, and most will be phased in over the next few years. Once the project is complete, the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs will be implemented by the WCWSA, eliminating the O&M costs associated with each plant. A typical residential user can expect to see charges in two categories – a capital charge that will appear on annual tax bills and an O&M charge. Until the project is completed, the Town will continue to bill you directly for O&M. After that, the WCWSA will bill you quarterly for O&M to keep each community’s plant running. A long-term reduction in O&M costs is anticipated as a direct result of the regional approach.

Upon completion of the project, users can anticipate paying approximately $720/year under the regional approach, compared to more significant costs resulting from each community pursuing individual projects. The outcome of the regional approach will result in long-term savings to all of the involved communities.