Lodi Council OKs pact to design plant upgrades

The Lodi City Council approved a request by public works staff to enter into a contract with Schneider Electric Buildings Americas Inc. to design and develop replacement aeration blowers and diffusers during Wednesday’s council meeting.

Public Works will replace two out of the four aeration blowers and diffusers at White Slough Water Pollution Control Facility. This comes after Director Charles Swimley proposed upgrades to the treatment plant’s outdated aeration blower system in June.

The new blowers will be energy efficient and help reduce electricity costs for the treatment plant, according to Swimley.

“The project description is to replace two aeration blowers, with variable speed blowers and to replace existing membrane style diffusers with disc-style diffusers,” Swimley said.

The blowers are used to separate water and sludge in the beginning stages of the filtration process, making them critical in the treatment of wastewater.

When used the blowers must deliver varying airflow under different environmental conditions

with a relatively narrow pressure range. The blowers can consume a large amount of electricity and make up a large portion of the electricity costs at the treatment plant.

Aeration blowers are used in the oxygenation process to filter the water that comes through the plant. The water then undergoes tertiary treatment in cloth media filters and UV disinfection.

The cost for both projects is estimated at $2 million. Swimley anticipates both projects will be completed by the fiscal year 2020-21.

“The estimated energy savings, (with these improvements) is $250,000 a year and that number will be refined as we continue to get more information processed throughout this agreement,” he said.

According to Swimley, the contract agreement with SEBA Inc. is organized into three phases. The first two phases are devoted to designing with phase three being construction.

“Once we get the design documents completed, Schneider Electric Company will establish the construction cost, the ‘not to exceed cost’ and also an energy-savings guarantee,” Swimley said. “If those are favorable to the city then we would recommend bringing the project back to the council for approval.”