Greenbelt begins filter plant upgrade

Improvements are getting underway at Greenbelt Water Authority which will change the way Clarendon’s drinking water is treated.

Greenbelt General Manager Bobbie Kidd said work on the $2.3 million project at the filter plant north of Clarendon will be performed by the firm of R.M. Wright of El Paso.

“They have already been here and rented two houses for their workers to stay in,” Kidd said. “They are just waiting for material to be delivered to get started.”

The project will completely change Greenbelt’s chemical feed system, disinfecting system, filtering process, and reporting process, Kidd said. Half of the money spent at the plant will go toward replacing the old filters which have been in place for 35 years.

 The water authority has until 2004 to comply with more stringent standards set by the federal government. Kidd said Greenbelt started the process of upgrading several years ago.

“Three years ago in October we started with a 12-month evaluation to identify any problems and what needs to be done to meet the new standards,” he said. “We also tried to anticipate the regulations which might be enacted in the next 20 years.”

The new system will change the treatment of Greenbelt water from a chlorine method to a new treatment by chloramines, which uses both chlorine and ammonia.  The system will also stop using dry bulk chemicals and move to liquid chemicals.

Other changes include doubling the electrical service at the plant from 500 KVA to 1,000 KVA and upgrading the computer system in the plant which controls treatment of the water and delivery of the water from the Greenbelt Reservoir from here to Crowell. The present controls were last upgraded 19 years ago, and some parts date back to 1965.

Kidd said the contractor expects to be finished by May 1, 2003, although the contract allows for 56 weeks to complete the job.

Local residents should not have any disruption in their water service during most of the work. But Kidd did say there will be one day next spring that water won’t be pumped to Clarendon. The authority will work with the City of Clarendon to notify customers before that happens.

“If we can pick that day and can pump the water tanks full ahead of time, there should be no problem.”

Greenbelt is also building a new storage tank at Childress as part of the upgrade. The Natgun Corporation was awarded the $1.7 million contract for that job and expects to be finished next July, although they also have a 56-week contract.

Natgun, which is based in Wakefield, Mass., with offices in Dallas, is constructing a new six million gallon concrete tank to replace the old four million gallon steel tank presently in Childress.

Site work has already been completed on that job, Kidd said.

Financing for the project was secured for the project in 2001, and Kidd said the bids have come in lower than expected, which will allow Greenbelt to do some additional work.

Engineering for the filter upgrade and the new tank is under the supervision of Freese and Nichols, Inc. – the same firm which designed the Greenbelt Reservoir and the filter plant in the 1960s.