6/18/14 - Genoa Township hopes to bypass state wastewater treatment requirements with a new project being funded through the sale of up to $6 million in bonds. The township has two wastewater treatment plants, one at Oak Pointe and one on Chilson Road that is shared with Oceola Township. The Oak Pointe treatment plant discharges into the ground, and the excessive sodium in effluent has been causing problems in nearby wells. However, the Chilson Road plant discharges into a stream, and as such it has no sodium regulations from the Department of Environmental Quality. The township plans to make modifications to both plants and run a main between them, allowing the Oak Pointe plant to provide preliminary treatment and act as a pressure pump before shunting the wastewater to Chilson for final treatment and discharge. The project will be let out to bid, and depending on the price up to $6 million in bonds will be sold to pay for the improvements. Township finance employees say these bonds could be paid off within 20 years through the usage fees of customers on the Oak Pointe system, even if no new customers are added during that time. Work on the plants and the new main is expected to begin this fall and should be wrapped up by fall of 2015. (TD)
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