HELENA – Helena’s Wastewater Treatment Facility is looking at $1.5 million in damages.
On September 4th, workers discovered the secondary digester was broken.
The 70,000 pound piece of cement equipment is key to the last part of the process for sludge waste water.
The primary digester is still in operation, but officials would prefer not to depend on just one.
Helena City Manager Dennis Taylor says this is the second time since 1996 that the secondary digester has broken.
Taylor also stated that the digester cannot be repaired and will have to replace it.
A plan to replace the equipment should be ready to present to the city in November.
Officials hope to have answers as to why the digester broke by next spring and have a secondary digester back on line by August of next year.
The broken digester will postpone plans on the Capital Improvement Plan to 2020.
Reporting by Mercedies Pruneda for MTN News
