The city of Bismarck will take out a $20 million loan to upgrade and increase the capacity of the city's wastewater treatment plant.

City commissioners approved the two-year project at Tuesday's meeting. Construction should begin later this fall, according to utility operations director Keith Demke.

Commissioners awarded construction bids to three contractors. PKG is the project's general contractor with a bid of $14.9 million. Central Mechanical was chosen for the mechanical work at $1.2 million, and Edling Electric will be the electrical contractor with a bid of $1.8 million.

The commission also entered into an engineering services agreement with SEH at a cost of $1.8 million.

"In order to build this complex project, we will need engineering support," Demke said. "SEH did do the design work and master plan for the project. Their cost appears to be a reasonable level for the effort for a two-year construction."

The commission also approved a resolution to apply for $20 million from the state's Clean Water Fund, a revolving loan fund. The loan will be paid back over 20 years at an effective rate of 3 percent interest.

The project is the largest upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant since 1985, Demke's first year with the city.

"The biggest part of the construction will be construction of a new headworks facility, the first stop in the treatment train," Demke said. "Here, the waste water is screened and grit is taken out, and then the flows are split to the rest of the units."

There will be an odor-control facility that captures the air which has gasses stripped from the wastewater, effectively eliminating odors. A new primary clarifier will be installed, which is basically a large settling tank. The five existing settling tanks will all be rehabilitated. Rotating equipment will be replaced, and new pipelines will be installed.

Also included is an emergency generator that the existing plant does not have.

The current plant has a capability of treating 7.5 million gallons of waste a day. A series of projects, starting with this upgrade, will increase capabilities to 9.5 million gallons a day.

"Right now we're treating just over 6 million gallons a day. This goes down in the winter," Demke said. "The whole process is dependent on weather. When it's wet, the amount of waste water treated goes up. When it is dry, it goes down. Right now we're seeing lower flow rates than we've seen in the past ten years. Even with all the growth being seen in the community, it's gone down. We're just not getting a lot of ground water."

A starting date for the work hasn't been set yet, though a preconstruction meeting will probably be called for in the first part of October, with some work starting in mid- to late-October.

In other activity, the Bismarck City Commission:

3 Scheduled a hearing for the 2007 budget at the Sept. 26 meeting of the commission.

3 Approved the acceptance of donations to the city's animal impound, which included furminators (grooming devices) and other articles. Police Department Chief Deb Ness said several businesses have donated dog and cat food.

3 Approved up to $50,000 to hire a consultant to negotiate a 15-year cable franchise deal.

3 Approved a request for proposals for a software service for property tax assessments.

3 Will set a hearing for the annexation of the KMK subdivision. An informational meeting on the proposed forced annexation of the subdivision will be held on Sept. 20 at 5:15 p.m. at the City/County Building.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)