Detroit Moves Ahead With $683M Sludge Facility
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Detroit is moving ahead with a $683 million contract to build a large facility designed to convert waste material into energy or fertilizer.
It's the first attempt to modernize the way the city disposes of sludge since a prior deal with Synagro Technologies Inc. fell apart amid a federal corruption probe.
City Council voted 6-2 earlier this month in favor of the facility, which is expected to be built near a wastewater treatment plant.
State-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr has yet to sign off on the 20-year deal with New England Fertilizer Co.
Water officials say the deal will enable the city to comply with new air emission standards that go into effect in 2016 and save $330 million in operating costs.
The facility is expected to be constructed across from the wastewater treatment plant on Jefferson in an industrial zone, the Detroit News reported. If constructed as planned, the facility will reportedly be the largest of its kind in the United States.
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