The federally mandated ultraviolet water treatment plant on 4969 Kingston Road in the village of Elbridge, a nearly $1 million project, has been fully completed. The plant provides treated drinking water to the town and village of Elbridge, as well as the village of Jordan.

On Nov. 4, 2011, surface restoration was completed, marking the final phase of construction on a project that got its beginning on May 4, 2009, when an intermunicipal agreement between the village of Elbridge and the village of Jordan was prepared by the Elbridge Bond Counsel.

On Dec. 12, 2007, both villages received notification from the state’s Department of Health that they are required “to treat the water distributed through their system in accordance with the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” according to the Department of State Local Government Efficiency Grant Program’s final summary report. The rule was put in place for all Schedule 1 Systems.

The rule made it so the plant would have to be treating drinking water no later than March 31, 2012. If the plant wasn’t up and running by then, all parties involved were subject to a fine of no more than $25,000 per day after the deadline.

In the report, the town and villages identified the biggest issues on the table with building the plant. The town and villages said because of a false positive reading for the microscopic parasite Cryptosporidium, an organism that causes diarrhea, they had to build the plant. It Cryptosporidium is cited as a “very enlightening” experience. It said the past history between the three municpalities made it difficult, but: “Luckily there was a confluence of statesmanship on the part of involved boards necessitated by the above described federal mandate.”

Henry Doerr, Elbridge mayor, said he was happy the project is completed.

“It was something we had to do, so we banded together and got it done,” he said.

Cost and operation of the plant is solely maintained by the village of Elbridge, as it provides drinking water through the construction, operation and maintenance of the facility.

There was also a 4,070-foot long transmission line built to distribute the water.

The total cost for the plant alone was $666,667, of which $66,667 was funded through taxes, while the rest was a grant from the state. The rest of the $1 million total cost was for various things associated with building the plant that weren’t put in the initial report.

The report states a total savings over time of $3.330,500, which amounts to a 55-percent return on investment for grant dollars over a 20-year project life.

It also cited “intergovernmental cooperation” as a reason the project was successfully completed. It said that any issues found along the way were quickly and efficiently resolved. It gave credit to the NYS State Public Health Department for being “instrumental” in approving the design for the project.

There were many barriers to overcome, but the report states that none of them were insurmountable.

Neil Benjamin Jr. can be reached at [email protected]