The village Board of Trustees approved a resolution this month to make emergency repairs to its 40-year-old waste water treatment plant and issue up to $400,000 in serial bonds to pay for them.

Village engineer Ed Hernandez of Adirondack Mountain Engineering explained in his monthly report to the board on March 18 that the wastewater treatment plant is having issues with its secondary clarifiers. Many of the parts in the clarifying tanks are rotted or heavily corroded.

“The chains have come off of the sprockets recently and some of the mechanical systems are separating from the concrete walls,” Hernandez said. “It is highly recommended that the Village proceed with upgrades to the clarifiers.”

In wastewater treatment plants, clarifiers, also known as sedimentation tanks, are crucial for separating solids from the liquid effluent through sedimentation, improving water clarity and preparing it for further treatment or discharge.

Clarifiers work by slowing down the wastewater flow, allowing heavier solids to settle to the bottom of the tank, while the clarified water flows over a weir for further treatment.

But that proper functioning at the village plant on Rundel Lane is in jeopardy due to the deterioration of various operating parts in those clarifiers. “The parts can no longer be adjusted because they are rotted,” said Matt Rifenburgh, Department of Public Works Foreman. “They are obsolete and hard to get. It’s time for new ones.”

“It has to be done and we have no choice but to do it now,” said Mayor Judith Wood-Zeno, “in order to ensure the continuous operation of the sewer plant for the protection of life, health and safety of the public and environment.”

The Village will issue serial bonds (borrow the money) not to exceed $400,000 to pay for the emergency repairs. The firm of Barclay Damon LLP will serve as bond counsel. Kubricky Construction Corp of Wilton has submitted a bid to perform the repairs.