The current wastewater treatment operation has run its course at Fieldbrook Foods in Dunkirk. In order to better keep up with city regulations, the plant is looking to implement an entirely new facility on the northeast corner of the property along the railroad bed.

“We’re going to take wastewater from the plant and it’s going to come into our equalization tank which holds 250,000 gallons,” Manaf Farhan, engineer for the project, explained at the city planning board meeting this month. “It is 32 feet in diameter and 43 feet high. The equalization tank will help us control the flow rate, pH, the temperature and nutrients of the wastewater stream. From the equalization tank the wastewater will go into two aerobic digester units that’ll sit on 16 by 16 foot pads.”

Work on the project is part of the ongoing improvements that have been taking place at the facility. Last September, the plant announced improvements totaling $87 million. More than 500 are employed at the plant.

The plant is initially going to have these two and then have two more pads ready to allow for expansion of the system as the factory adds more production.

“The pump house itself will be 35 by 85 feet,” Farhan said. “The digester tanks are 14 feet in diameter and 35 feet high with railings. We’re going to treat the wastewater, reduce the organics, control the pH and then discharge a steady stream to the city of Dunkirk wastewater treatment sewer.”

The construction will not be viewable by the general public except perhaps those on Monroe Street, however there is a wall of trees and bushes that block to existing view; once the new system is built the old one will be decommissioned.