MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) announced that state approval has been granted for upgrades at the Cheat Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.
MUB General Manager Mike McNulty reported during their regular meeting Tuesday that the West Virginia Water Development Authority approved the bond closing for the approximately $46 million project. McNulty expressed excitement to kick off the work that will upgrade the Cheat Lake Waste Water Treatment Plant to be able to process up to 1.75 million gallons per day as well as improvements to the Whites Run and Greystone pumping stations.
“It’s wonderful, it’s good to know that we have a project that’s going to move forward,” said McNulty. “We’ll be getting meetings scheduled with our engineering firm and contractor here in, I would assume, in the next couple of weeks,” he said.
The upgrades at the Cheat Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant will include five separate financial contributions to account for the $46 million price tag. Along with an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation from MUB that will value at $3.8 million, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will contribute approximately $33.9 million as part of a State Revolving Fund loan and a separate grant, and the West Virginia Development Authority will contribute approximately $8 million through their own ARPA Grant. There will also be grant contributions of approximately $165,000 from the State Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council.
“We have the Water Development Authority, the West Virginia DEP State Revolving Fund, we have the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council, and then MUB,” said McNulty on the groups that will support the bonding. “We’re (MUB) also supporting the project as well,” he said.
The work at the Cheat Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant will account for upgrades that haven’t been seen at the facility in over 20 years. This will include upgrades to the pumping systems, preliminary treatment, biological activated sludge, UV disinfection, effluent outfall, and biosolids management. McNulty added that the project will account for needed expansions in water capacity due to the fast-growing nature of the Cheat Lake area itself.
“Right now, we’re at about the maximum amount of flow that we can take in the plant on many days,” said McNulty on the need for upgrades at the plant. “And so, it’s going to allow us to take in more flow, and it’s going to allow for more development,” he said.
The hope for MUB is that ground will break on the Cheat Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant project by early 2025. The contract with construction firm Mele & Mele & Sons has already been signed off by the MUB board of directors with plans in place to host pre-construction meetings by the start of January. With the financial aspects in place and a contractor ready to get to work, MUB is ready to do the same.
“We’ll get started on schedules and submittals and materials (in the coming weeks), and I think we’re going to move forward,” McNulty said.