The City of Arlington broke ground Monday, May 4, at the new site for the water waste treatment expansion project. City leaders, along with project designers and planners, have been working on the expansion since 2005, and they anticipate completing the project in 2011.

Project construction designer Timothy H. Childs from Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, commented, "We team up with the general contractors because this is a large team effort. It helps to have a designer on board."

The expansion project is part of an upgrade system that will allow the City to have the most current technology concerning wastewater treatment, as well as prolonging the lifespan of the new system. "The old wastewater treatment system was built in 1997 and hasn't lived up to the standards it should have. This one will last 20-25 year and is cost-effective," said Childs.

The new technology system has two processes that will work simultaneously to filter water for the Stillaguamish Valley. A membrane batch reactor will filter water through tiny membranes and a Biological Nutrient Removal process will focus on removing nitrogen and phosphorus material. Not only are these processes technologically advanced, but they also allow for internal expansion, if needed by increased growth in the region, without having to expand the entire plant in the future.

The project cost totals $41 million, with $15 million provided by the state of Washington and another $15 million coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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