Holyoke wins infrastructure award

In November, the city of Holyoke received the “Distinguished Infrastructure Award” from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships for a treatment plant that has helped the city save money and meet environmental mandates.

The Berkshire Street Combined Sewer Overflow Treatment Plant, which began operating in 2007, corrected a drawback common among water systems in older cities, according to Public Works Superintendent William Fuqua. Because the city’s sewer flow was channeled through the same pipes that carried stormwater, heavy rains would cause sewage to find its way into the Connecticut River. Roughly two-thirds of this overflow was passing through the pipe at Berkshire Street, making it the largest single source of discharge along the entire length of the 407-mile river, according to Fuqua.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wanted Holyoke to deal with the overflow at Berkshire Street and other discharge pipes in the city, Fuqua said. Holyoke eventually established a 20-year contract with United Water, a New Jersey-based company that manages the treatment plant.

As part of the agreement with the company, which required legislative approval, some city public works employees were terminated and then rehired, at higher pay, by United Water, Fuqua said.

The design improvements and efficiencies that United Water delivered have helped save the city $7 million over the past several years, according to Fuqua.

“More importantly, there was a risk transfer from the city to the contractor,” he said.

United Water, he said, is now responsible for ensuring that the city’s sewer system complies with EPA regulations.

“They have access to current technology and resources that are difficult for the city to fund and obtain,” he said.

Fuqua spoke at the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships’ awards banquet in Washington on Nov. 18.