Thursday, June 28, 2007
Micromedia Update

Do you remember Micromedia? They gave us a proposal last December for $10 million to bring our plant in to compliance for the next 10 years.

They have an interesting new process that may be able to revolutionize treatment. It's very promising.
Anyway, they've just been awarded the contract for Adelanto's plant and the City of Barstow is considering cancelling their MBR plant contract with HDR Engineering. You can read the article here. Excerpt...

"...“We offer a simpler process and could save the city $900,000 to $1 million a year and $5 to $10 million up front,” said MicroMedia CEO Sam Luxenburg. The company’s design uses less electricity and fewer workers and would incinerate the sewage sludge produced instead of having to pay to dispose of it, he said. "

It appears that some cities are taking a second look at real turn-key solutions rather than the overpriced, over-engineered, "customized" type of plant that we have contracted for.

Let's cancel that American Water contract - paying the $650,000 escape clause will save us millions. Millions in capital cost and millions in operating and maintenance costs.

Sewage setbacks could cost Adelanto $1 million
June 04, 2010 5:39 PM
Natasha Lindstrom

ADELANTO • The city could lose as much as $1 million due to setbacks that have delayed the completion of an innovative wastewater treatment process by more than a year.

In late 2007 the Adelanto City Council approved a $7 million contract with Lake Forest-based MicroMedia Filtration, Inc., as part of a $14 million expansion and upgrades to the city-owned wastewater plant. The move aimed to double the capacity to treat sewage at half the cost of more traditional methods by using less energy.

But due to a series of technical and communication issues between the city and MMF, the new treatment process is still not operational.

“We finished the plant last year, in July or August, and during the testing we found a lot of problems with the equipment,” Adelanto City Engineer Wilson So said. “But this is a brand-new process so we anticipated that. We are now going back to the drawing board. We are working with them to make sure that these problems get corrected.”

The expansion’s delay has now forced Adelanto to turn to the regional Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority for help.

Last month the city sent a request to the VVWRA asking to pump 800,000 gallons per day of raw sewage into VVWRA’s facility for up to 15 months, which will cost the city roughly $1 million. The city is permitted to treat only 1.5 million gallons of sewage per day, but lately had been receiving 2.2 million gallons per day, So said.

City and MMF officials offer slightly differing explanations behind the delay.

For the full story, read Saturday's Daily Press. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.

Natasha Lindstrom may be reached at (760) 951-6232 or at nlindstrom@VVDailyPress.com.