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Nicholasville – The City of Nicholasville recently held an official groundbreaking for the expansion of the Jessamine Creek Environmental Control Facility. The expansion of the wastewater treatment plant will double the size of the plant by mirroring the original facility.

Capacity for the current plant was reached in 2019, but that has not hindered the success of the facility and the teams who work there. The plant is currently able to treat the 4.3 million gallons of wastewater it receives daily and return it safely to the environment. This expansion will increase the average daily output permitted to 7.1 million gallons of water per day, an increase of 73 percent. This helps the city comply with the Clean Water Act by treating more wastewater during periods of heavy rainfall, improving the environment in and around Nicholasville.

“This infrastructure project is going to allow Nicholasville to grow and to thrive, while also protecting the environment,” said Bob Amato, Public Utilities Director for the City. “It is critical to our community.”

The treatment system at the plant is also being updated to provide a cleaner discharge based on an added Chemical Feed System and New Oxidation Ditch Treatment System to improve the quality of the water returned to the environment. Overall, the system will go through technological updates to bring it up to today’s standards and improve efficiency.

During the groundbreaking program, Nicholasville Mayor Pete Sutherland recognized the countless elected officials, contractors, and employees who have worked tirelessly, allowing these plans to come to life. All parties involved recognized the improvements this expansion will make on the lives on everyone around the area.

“This wastewater system expansion will allow our economy to prosper for many years to come, serving our citizens and businesses with the needed utility capacity to meet the demand of our great city,” said Alex Carter, Nicholasville City Commissioner.

When the current facility was built in 1996, original employees knew that they would need to grow at some time. Since then, the wastewater department has won many awards for Operational Excellence, including the past five years in a row.Plans for this $20 million expansion began three years ago and will take about 24 months to complete. The expansion was designed by HMB Professional Engineers Inc. and will be constructed by Dugan & Meyers.