Scottsburg to cut ribbon on wastewater plant

State and local officials will cut the ribbon Tuesday on the new wastewater treatment plant in Scottsburg. The city says the $18 million project will support business and residential growth throughout the city over the next 10-20 years.

Scottsburg Mayor Terry Amrick’s office began work on plans for the plant in order to end a sewer ban placed on the city by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Original plans called for a continuous batch reactor plant, but when the cost for the project reached $20 million, officials decided to switch to a sequence batch reactor plant, which would be more efficient and save money.

“Implementing a sequence batch reactor design allowed us to build a plant that was one third larger and $2 million cheaper than previous plant plans,” Amick said in written remarks. “We are hoping to serve as a model and that other plants in the state of Indiana will take a look at what we’ve done here and follow suit.”

The city said the new plant doubles the city’s previous wastewater treatment capacity.

Amrick will join officials from IDEM and other community leaders and project partners for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.