Hampton to seek March warrant article to fund wastewater plant upgrades

A presenter in a Town of Hampton Public Works video said the town will seek a warrant article in March to approve funds for upgrades at the Hampton Wastewater Treatment Plant, citing several aging support systems and critical equipment needs.

The presenter said the plant treats about 2,500,000 gallons of wastewater a day and relies on more than 100 individual pieces of equipment. "The Hampton Wastewater Treatment Plant is operated and maintained by the town's Public Works department," the presenter said, describing the plant's headworks, primary settling tanks, aeration tanks, secondary clarifiers and chlorine contact tanks as the main treatment stages.

Why it matters: The presenter framed the upgrades as necessary to keep the plant operating continuously and to protect the environment. The town flagged four support systems as priorities: sludge pumping, sludge thickening, plant water and the plant's SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) computer control system.

Sludge pumping: The presenter provided an inventory of 13 sludge pumps by function and described how pumps move material between primary and secondary tanks, thickeners, storage and dewatering equipment. The video states that "These 3 pumps have reached the end of their useful life and require replacement in the near future for the plant to continue its daily operations," identifying near-term replacement needs.

Sludge thickening: The presenter said thickening—performed in gravity thickeners, a rotary drum thickener and a rotary press—reduces sludge volume and disposal costs. The gravity thickeners at the Hampton plant are described as more than 30 years old and in need of new mechanisms to ensure continued operation.

Plant water and energy use: The presenter said the plant water system uses two pumps that circulate about 200,000 to 300,000 gallons per day and operate 24 hours a day; those pumps "have surpassed their useful life." The town said it would like to replace the pumps and install variable-speed drives in pressure tanks to reduce electricity use.

Control system: The presenter said the plant's SCADA system "has been running since the 1990s and will soon be incompatible with today's computers," and that an upgrade is needed so operators can continue to control existing and any new equipment remotely and reliably.

Next steps: The presenter repeated that a warrant article to approve funds will appear in March; the video does not specify cost estimates, the text of the article or the exact date of the vote. No formal motion or vote occurred in the presentation itself.

The presenter closed by stressing the plant's role for the town and thanking viewers for their attention and support of the public asset.