In November 2023, Toledoans voted overwhelmingly in support of allowing the City to proactively move forward on improvements at the Bay View Wastewater Treatment Plant. Bay View was built in 1926 and has not seen any significant improvements since the mid-1980s. This location handles all the used water before it returns to Lake Erie which amounts to approximately 65 million gallons when the weather is dry and up to 400 million gallons when it rains.
Over the next 10-15 years, the City is investing approximately $627 million to upgrade the treatment facility and make other repairs to the wastewater system to meet regulations and provide reliable water service to Toledo residents.
After making major improvements to the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant, which treats the water between Lake Erie and our homes and businesses and keeps our water safe to drink, we are ready to move on to the other side of the water treatment cycle.
The work is divided into three phases organized by the level of importance.
$329 million
First five years.
Beginning in 2024, the City will begin with the elements of the plant and wastewater treatment process that are the highest priority with a focus on how we are handling solids.
Gravity thickeners help gravity do the work of separating solid particles from the water before the digestion phase. This helps concentrate the solids.
Building and dewatering process to separate the water from the solids for their own disposal after the solids settle.
Digesters and gas system where microorganisms begin to break down ("digest") the solids. This process releases a methane rich biogas which the City can use as an energy source, aiding in our sustainability efforts.
$219 million
Next five years.
Beginning in 2028, the City will focus on less urgent concerns. This involves making improvements to the current digesters location.
Primary Clarifiers are a wastewater treatment unit of equipment that handle the liquids that separate from the solids. This helps purify the liquids.
Drying and storage process improvements will use extreme heat to remove any remaining water from the solids, and turn the waste into a Class B biosolid with a pathogen reduction of 95%. This allows safe storage of the biosolids, and the potential to reuse them as fertilizer.
$79 million
Final five years.
In the final five years, the City will address several smaller projects like replacing blowers that support the secondary treatment process, installing a new flushing gate for wet weather treament, and improvements to the access control system.