Portage breaks ground on $12M wastewater improvements

It may have been raining, but John McClure found a ray of sunshine in a municipal groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday.

A 21-year employee of the city’s Utilities Department, McClure watched as government and business officials broke ground on a $12 million wastewater solar screen and clarifier improvement project.

“We need the improvements,” McClure said. “The city has taken on a lot with new homes and industries. We’re running out of capacity. This project updates some old equipment and can save us money.”

As Utilities Superintendent Tracie Marshall explained, the project will improve the function of the wastewater treatment plant in three ways. The headworks screen will replace the existing screen with a new unit. That will improve screening capabilities at the plant and provide a source of redundancy for the screening process.

Also, Marshall said, the secondary clarifier equipment has reached the end of its useful life and needs replacing to ensure the facility will continue to function properly and discharge quality effluent to the Burns Waterway and Lake Michigan.

Third, the superintendent explained, the solar project, once complete, will allow the wastewater treatment plant to begin operating partially on renewable energy. The solar field, Marshall said, will offset approximately 30% of the energy demanded by the facility.

In her third year as superintendent, Marshall said she is “super excited” about the project. The clarifier, she said, has a life expectancy of 25 years and is already 42 years old.

Another plus, Marshall said, is the projected utilities savings to the city through solar energy.

“This is going to be great for the city of Portage,” Marshall said. “It will help with infrastructure and bring in other businesses.”

The project is being funded entirely by the Indiana Finance Authority State Revolving Fund through its Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF). In addition, the city is seeking Inflation Reduction Act credits for construction of the solar facility.

Mayor Austin Bonta thanked the current and past administrations for their work leading to this project. He recalled meeting in Washington, D.C., with other city officials lobbying for assistance. He heard about difficulties some communities had in securing SRF funding.

United States Rep. Frank J. Mrvan praised the community’s collaborative attitude in this three-year effort. He said his office would work with Portage to receive tax credits from the project. The city, he said, can use those dollars for other quality-of-life issues.

Mrvan also cited the wastewater plant’s increased capacity, producing cleaner water going into the Indiana Dunes and Burns Harbor.

“This is a great day for Portage,” the congressman concluded.

City Councilman Collin Czilli, D-5th, estimated that if the city had not made the wastewater enhancement, “90% of the city would not be able to flush their toilets.”

The City Council, Czilli said, looked for ways to fund the project and decided the situation could not continue unchecked.

Money saved through solar energy, Czilli said, could go into other city improvements.

Noting that the Portage project could be a model for communities nationwide, Czilli said the wastewater project “makes our facility better in the long run.”

Former Mayor Sue Lynch was also feeling excited about the project, which began during her administration.

“This project is going to be great and it’s going to save the city a lot of money,” she said.

The ex-mayor also cited the value of "going green," noting how the city has "green" garbage trucks.

“Wastewater is not one of those sexy issues, but it is necessary,” Lynch noted.