DECATUR — Decatur could be getting a high tech filter that will remove almost all phosphorus from the town’s wastewater.

Council members passed a resolution at the July 19 meeting that will allow the city to pursue a loan from Government Capitol Corporation for a Blue Water Technology sand filter.

The Blue PRO filter will cost about $800,000, including installation.

High phosphorus levels have plagued Decatur’s wastewater treatment plant in past years and led to the building of a new plant in 2009. Decatur is currently at a phosphorus limit of 1.0, but a new permit requirement from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality could come as soon as next year with a much lower level of 0.1, according to city utilities director James Boston.

The new filter has the ability to take phosphorus levels down below the current detectable limits, Boston said.

While the new filter is expensive, it will save money in the long run, Boston said. He explained that it significantly reduces the amount of expensive chemicals - the current method for removing phosphorus - as well as the amount of electricity used at the plant.

In addition to removing phosphorus, the filter will also remove solids from the finished wastewater and help the whole plant run more efficiently.

“The filter will do a lot of good things for the water and it will also make things easier for us operationswise,” Boston said.

Blue Water Technology brought the filter for a triallast summer, with excellent results. The filter was able to reduce Decatur’s phosphorus levels to 0.002 parts per million, Mayor Charles Linam said at the time.

Since then, the ADEQ has given Decatur approval to use the new filter, and the engineering has been completed, Boston said.

Once the financing is approved, the project will be put out to bid. If all goes well, construction could begin this fall and be complete by spring, Boston said.

“We feel very good about the fact that we may be ahead of the game,” he said.

News, Pages 11 on 08/01/2012