Sep. 7—FRANKTON — The Town of Frankton broke ground Tuesday on a new $20 million wastewater treatment plant that will increase capacity and reduce flooding.
The facility will be able to process 4.36 million gallons of water a day, compared to the current facility's 1.4 million gallon capacity. Frankton Town President Larry Shively said a serious rain can flood the town with 100,000 gallons of water, but a new reserve tank will be able to hold up to 300,000 gallons until it can be processed.
"We would get overflows into Pipe Creek," he said Tuesday during the groundbreaking ceremony. "Now we will be able to hold water and not put stuff into the creek."
Frankton is one of many communities throughout the state and in Madison County that have entered into agreements with either the Indiana Department of Environmental Management or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to separate stormwater and wastewater systems.
The new treatment plant was five years in the planning and is expected to be completed within 18 months.
The original wooden water plant was built in the 1960s, and an upgraded brick building was added in the 1980s. Most of the original facilities in the 5800 block of West 850 County Road North will be removed to make way for the new facility.
The wastewater facility is one of several infrastructure projects in progress in Frankton. Another involves the rehabilitation of the sewer system, including 15,000 feet of cleaning, closed-circuit TV installation and placement of wider pipes to allow for better flow.
"When you got an eight-inch pipe, it all backs up down Maple Street." Shively said. "We got people with sewage backing up on Maple Street into their houses."
The projects are paid for through a combination of loans and grants.
The town also has been unable to continue its economic growth until the stormwater and wastewater were separated because of a ban by the state, he said.
"That means the state can take over, and you can't have anymore development."
The stormwater/wastewater project is part of the town's five-year comprehensive plan and is on target with the anticipated timeline, Shively said.
"Our comprehensive plans showed we had to fix the sewer before we could build downtown."
Madison County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Clayton Whitson praised the Town Council for seeing through a difficult project with a high impact that will improve the marketability of the entire county.
"Water infrastructure is not a sexy project to take on, but it's very much needed," he said.
Not only will the upgraded water system help residents individually, it also will help the town meet its economic expansion goals, Whitson said.
"This is huge. It's key to growth. Upgrades on major water projects like this will have dividends for years to come."
Andrew Cochrane, a project manager for Indianapolis-based Commonwealth Engineers Inc., said the upgraded wastewater treatment system will differ significantly from what is in place.
Commonwealth is one of many partners in the project, which also includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indiana Finance Authority State Revolving Fund and Indiana Bond Bank.
"All the treatment is going to be done in one tank," he said. "They're going to add a lot of technology."
Ric Frataccia, of the USDA, called the wastewater treatment facility a labor of love.
"It's gotten to a point the benefits are going to be long-lasting and far reaching for the community," he said. "This project is going to be a big step in the right direction for quite a few reasons."
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