Groundbreaking Held for New $35 Million Wastewater Treatment Facility by Tuolumne Utilities District Oct 21, 2021 Member Submitted News Tuolumne Utilities District held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the construction of the new Sonora Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility Project on Monday, October 18, 2021. The TUD Board of Directors, local dignitaries, members of the public, and press participated. Built in the 1970’s, the existing Sonora Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (SRWWTF) is approaching 50 years of service and while it has undergone several process upgrades over the decades, the facility needs replacement. The District Board awarded a new construction contract to Kiewit Infrastructure West, Co., of Fairfield, Ca. in the amount of $35,025,010. The Project scope includes constructing a new wastewater treatment facility capable of treating an average of 2 million gallons of wastewater per day that will meet the current California Title 22 Standards for Disinfected Tertiary Treated wastewater. Specific improvements include a new septage receiving facility, new headworks screening and grit removal system, secondary treatment process consisting of extended aeration, secondary clarification, tertiary filtration, disinfection, an emergency storage basin, rehabilitation, and conversion of existing secondary anaerobic digester vessels to aerobic digesters, new sludge screw press for solids dewatering, along with emergency standby power, and a new administrative/operations building. The project site is contained within the footprint of the existing treatment plant located at 1400 Southgate Drive in Sonora. Most of the project cost will be covered thanks to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant/loan package that includes over $8.5 million in grant dollars, and approximately $24.9 million as a low-interest loan. TUD will contribute approximately $8.8 million of its own funds from wastewater reserves. Project partners include Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering, Inc. (PACE), Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. (Kiewit), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Mountaineering Engineering, Condor Earth Technologies and Municipal Capital Markets. Construction is scheduled to be completed within two years.