The upgrade and expansion of the Madison Wastewater Treatment Plant is moving forward.
Last month, the Rapidan Service Authority (RSA) Board of Members voted to award the bid for the project to Patterson Construction, Inc. The Fredericksburg-based company submitted the low bid for the project which aims to increase the 80,000 gallon per day plant to 160,000 gallons. By comparison, the water plant has a 250,000 gallon per day limit. The low bid was $9,555,344. Post-bid conversations resulted in a cost savings of $605,000, bringing the bid to $8,960,344. A grant from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Water Quality Improvement Fund will cover approximately $3.2 million of the cost.
The project does not include outflow costs to the Robinson River which include easement acquisitions and piping. Currently, the plant discharges, which averages 60,000 gallons per day, discharges to Little Dark Run. The upgraded plant at 160,000 gallons per day cannot.
Tim Clemmons, general manager of RSA, said the engineer will soon begin work on getting easements finalized for the outflow and staff will come back to the board once that portion of the project is getting ready to proceed.
Upgrading the Madison wastewater treatment plant has long been in the works. A preliminary engineering plan was developed in July 2020. The circa-1970s plant is a limitation for the town and county in terms of growth. The connections to the plant have long been sold. Once the upgraded plant reaches its 160,000 gallon capability, an additional approximately 400 connections will be available.
