By Daniela Julio-Cano, FOX23 News
GLENPOOL, Okla. — Glenpool’s new wastewater treatment facility has reached a major milestone, with the new system now processing wastewater as the city moves closer to completing the nearly $60 million project.
“We are no longer processing wastewater through the lagoon,” said City of Glenpool Chief Operations Officer David Agbetunsin. “We are now processing wastewater through the SBR.”
The SBR is a mechanical treatment system that processes wastewater through several stages before it goes through ultraviolet disinfection and is released into the Arkansas River.
The new facility also increases Glenpool’s permitted wastewater treatment capacity from 1.44 million gallons per day to 3 million gallons per day.
Agbetunsin said the additional capacity will help the city accommodate future growth.
“This increases the capacity for growth in the city. The city is growing and we are prepared for that growth from an infrastructure standpoint.”
The facility also includes a new odor control system designed to reduce the impact of odors on nearby residents.
“Overall, our processes are being improved. We have added [an] odor control system to minimize the impact of odor to the residents as well.”
While the new system is now processing wastewater, the old lagoon still has to be decommissioned.
The city plans to dewater the lagoon and remove the sludge before doing additional work to repurpose it as a flow equalization basin.
Residents may notice temporary odors and increased truck traffic while that work is underway.
“The lagoon will be dewatered and thereafter the sludge will be removed before some additional work is being done in the lagoon to repurpose it. Residents can expect temporary odors during this process.”
The new facility is currently going through a commissioning process, during which each part of the system is tested to make sure it meets design specifications.
That testing is expected to be completed in late October, after which city staff will take over operations of the plant.
The project’s bid was approximately $58.8 million.
The city received $44 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and is using Clean Water State Revolving Fund financing to cover the remaining cost.
Full construction on the facility is expected to be complete by spring 2027.
