Design it and They (The Funds) Will Come
Prior to initiating improvements in 2020, the Hoyt Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) was as old as the city itself. The facility and city were born out of necessity to house thousands of workers for the Erie Mining Company taconite plant, which came to life in the 1950s. The city now known as Hoyt Lakes was originally called the Partridge Lake Development, but was renamed for Elton Hoyt II, an executive overseeing construction of the taconite plant and the city. Hoyt Lakes was incorporated in 1955, which also marks the date stamped on the construction drawings for the sanitary sewer collection and treatment systems. Hoyt Lakes was known as a ‘company town’ as only employees of Erie Mining were allowed to buy lots and build homes until about 1964.
Since its inception in 1955, the Hoyt Lakes WWTF has served the community well with only minor upgrades occurring over the first 60 years of operation. However, as the facility entered its seventh decade of operation, its age began to show. Mostly notably was the massive concrete structure that housed the rock media trickling filters. Brian Guldan, Bolton & Menk principal engineer and project manager, recalls the first time seeing the structure, “I remember making a comment to the city staff that the trickling filter reminded me of the Nazi bunkers along the beaches of western Europe. No sooner did the words come out of my mouth that I realized the structure I was looking at was only about 10 years younger than those bunkers from World War II.”
As expected, age can take its toll on even the greatest structures. Affectionately referred to as ‘the dungeon’ by Hoyt Lakes’ utility supervisor, Jake Berndt, the dimly lit, 140-foot long, 80-foot wide, and 25-foot-high structure was nearing the end of its life. The concrete roof had begun to slope inward, creating low spots for water to gather. Cycles of freeze and thaw had eaten away at the concrete surface leaving behind loose aggregate and cement. Some areas had even become prime real estate for vegetation growth. Tired from its many years of faithful service to the community, the city knew it was time to lay this structure to rest.
As with most treatment facilities in the state, age was not the only concern for the Hoyt Lakes WWTF. In 2017, the city was notified of new effluent mercury limits coming into effect as part of the Great Lakes Initiative. With this news, the city found themselves in a very familiar situation to many others in the state—aging infrastructure and a new set of stringent effluent limits. This is an overwhelming and all too common experience for municipalities, one that can often bring even the most optimistic city councils to their knees (don’t worry you can keep reading as this story has a happy ending). With some positive encouragement from consulting firm Bolton & Menk, the city realized what they must do, “build it and they will come”, or maybe more appropriately stated, “design it, and the funding will come.”
At the recommendation of Bolton & Menk, the city tackled the challenges head on. Why? Because taking a proactive approach to addressing all their needs would put them in the best position for financial assistance. In a 2017 memo to the city council, Guldan informed the council that Bolton & Menk had estimated the city would trigger a Water Infrastructure Fund (WIF) grant once the city incurred about $3.3M in new debt on the WWTF. With a small improvement project planned in 2018 of about $1.3M, this meant the city could receive WIF grants with additional debt around $2.0M if they proceeded with a large project to address both the aging facilities and the mercury limit. Eager to capitalize on the unique funding opportunity, the city authorized Bolton & Menk to design the improvements in 2018. With the expectation of receiving significant grant dollars through both the Point Source Implementation Grant (PSIG), which would cover 80 percent of the mercury treatment costs, and through WIF, this became an affordable project for the city.
By June 2020, the project was ready to bid, and the city could learn the final funding package. The low bidder was Gridor Construction of Buffalo, MN with a bid of $9.9M. By the end of the project in 2024, the total project costs, including construction and engineering was about $12.0M, with $10.2M of that being covered by PSIG and WIF grants. Guldan and Berndt like to reflect on the years of work that went into this project and delight in past decisions that greatly benefited the city. One thing they can’t get past is the two very different paths that could have been taken on the project. The first path would have been to try and reduce project scope and only address the mercury limit. This would have resulted in a project scope that included new mercury filters, chlorine contact tank, and chemical feed systems with an estimated cost to the city of $1.2M. Thankfully, they chose a different path that resulted in many upgrades to the facility including the mercury filters, chlorine contact tank, chemical feed equipment, equalization tank, influent mechanical screen, new trickling filters, new methane gas handling equipment, and new sludge truck, all at the city cost of only $1.8M.
It’s a true funding success story, one that started with Erie Mining Company back in the early 1950s.
As published in the summer 2024 issue of The Wastewatcher, an MWOA magazine.
Brian Guldan, PE, Principal Engineer – Brian is responsible for a broad range of environmental engineering projects including wastewater treatment facilities, wastewater lift stations, water treatment facilities, wells and well houses, and water booster stations. He began his career in 2004 and since that time has worked closely with clients from the early planning phases, through design and construction, and ultimately facility startup. Brian is devoted to long-lasting relationships with his clients through mutual trust and open communication. He enjoys talking to our clients about the issues surrounding their water and wastewater infrastructure and helping educate them on possible solutions.
