County looking at options for handling jail wastewater

    Now that the pomp and shaking of hands which came with the county's breaking ground for the new detention center has passed, it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty.
    Ford County Commissioners have started undertaking the issues of utilities for the new jail, including how wastewater is going to leave the building and the cheapest, most effective way to get it out of the way.
    County Engineer John Halbgewachs presented the commissioners with two options for the jail's wastewater on Monday, including a feeder line straight into the city's existing system or an on-site package sewer system.
    Halbgewachs gave a run-down of the pros and cons of each system, eventually recommending that the county should take out bids on a gravity-feed line south into the current wastewater treatment plant.
    Although an on-site package sewer system would allow the county to reuse the treated water — or gray water — to cut down on water usage for landscaping, Halbgewachs said the costs and disadvantages far outweighed the good.
    "You're looking around $700,000 for the package sewer system," he said. "One concern, people in jail usually aren't happy. This system would have lots of gears and stuff, so there's a higher probability of getting things in there clogging it up."
    A feed line, which would not have any moving parts, would cost around $482,000.
    Not only that, the package system only has a life of about 20 years, whereas a simple gravity line is expected to last up to 50 years.
    "That, and KDHE isn't really thrilled about putting up a new treatment center," Halbgewachs said.
    Commission Chairman Kim Goodnight said he felt there was very little discussion needed before asking Halbgewachs to seek bids for a line, especially considering there is the option for the city and county to share the cost of a larger line.
    "It's pretty obvious you did cost comparisons," Goodnight told Halbgewachs.
    The city, which is currently addressing its almost-at-capacity sewage system, should be able to handle the waste the jail would put out, Halbgewachs said Monday.

Reach Mark Vierthaler at (620) 408-9932 or e-mail him at mark.vierthaler@dodgeglobe.com.