Canandaigua is moving toward another major round of wastewater improvements as aging equipment, stricter state discharge limits and continued development place growing pressure on a treatment plant built more than 50 years ago.
The City Council’s Environmental Committee on Monday recommended advancing an approximately $18.9 million package covering primary clarifier improvements and the design of a new biological treatment system. The committee also backed a fully funded lead service line inventory grant application and a $132,765 security fence around the city’s water treatment plant.
The recommendations will move to the full City Council for consideration. Separately, the Ordinance Committee endorsed five new stop-sign locations in the Waterchase development as streets there prepare for paving.
Wastewater plant faces decades of upgrades
The most consequential discussion centered on the city’s Water Resource Recovery Facility, where consultants are developing the first comprehensive, plantwide capital improvement plan completed in years.
Larson Design Group is evaluating the facility’s condition, projected wastewater flows, treatment demands and long-term infrastructure needs. The study is expected to be finished by the end of February 2027.
The preliminary outlook calls for more than $60 million in current and future improvements. Much of that work is front-loaded because the city must replace failing equipment and prepare to meet tighter discharge standards by 2031.
Projects identified in the planning documents include a $15.9 million primary clarifier project, a $27.4 million biological treatment retrofit, more than $16 million in secondary clarifier work, a $3.4 million equalization lift station and several smaller upgrades.
The city has already completed a $28.7 million solids-treatment retrofit. A roughly $5.7 million headworks resiliency project is now under construction and expected to be finished by the end of 2026.
That project will improve how the plant receives and controls incoming wastewater, remove rocks and grit and increase its ability to handle high flows during heavy rain.
The city plans to seek as much as $4.7 million in grants for the work. Because construction is underway, consultants said the application should score better than it did in earlier funding rounds.
Next phase could cost $18.9 million
The committee unanimously recommended that the city pursue funding for the next package of work.
That proposal combines the design and construction of new primary clarifiers with the design of a replacement biological treatment system. The estimated cost is about $18.9 million.
The primary clarifiers remove solids and floating material before wastewater reaches later stages of treatment. Existing equipment is deteriorating and no longer performing as intended.
The city’s current biological treatment system relies on rotating biological contactors, large disks that allow microorganisms to grow on their surfaces and remove organic material and nitrogen from wastewater.
Consultants said several of those units are failing, difficult to maintain and too small to meet the plant’s future requirements.
The proposed replacement would use moving bed biofilm reactors. Those systems place small plastic media inside deeper aerated tanks, giving microorganisms a large surface area on which to grow while requiring less land than the existing equipment.
The smaller footprint could also leave more room for future clarifiers and other expansion at the facility.
The city will seek two grants that could provide up to $17.5 million toward the $18.9 million package, although officials emphasized that receiving the maximum amount is not guaranteed.
City Manager John Goodwin said authorizing the borrowing does not mean the city would automatically proceed if grant funding falls short. Council would revisit the project, its scope and financing before taking on the debt.
Stricter limits create a 2031 deadline
The plant’s condition is not the only reason Canandaigua must act.
New discharge permit requirements impose tighter limits on carbon-based waste and ammonia released from the facility. The previous carbon standard was generally based on a monthly average, while the newer permit includes a daily maximum that gives operators less room to balance higher and lower readings over time.
The plant also moved from having no direct ammonia concentration limit to a comparatively strict monthly standard.
Consultants said the existing system would struggle to meet those limits even if all of its equipment were relatively new. Aging and failing components add to the challenge.
The state has placed Canandaigua on a compliance schedule that gives the city until 2031 to complete the primary clarification and biological treatment improvements needed to meet the new limits.
The city is not currently facing financial penalties, and consultants said state regulators are aware that officials are planning projects, applying for grants and conducting additional sampling.
Still, Goodwin warned that 2031 is not far away when the city must design, finance and construct projects worth tens of millions of dollars. He said Canandaigua could temporarily fall out of compliance if funding and construction cannot move quickly enough.
Officials said regulators are generally less likely to impose major fines when a municipality has a credible plan and is actively working toward compliance. Being under a compliance schedule can also improve a project’s standing in competitive grant programs.
Officials track higher wastewater loads
The city and Ontario County are also studying where elevated organic loads are entering the sewer system.
Consultants said recent sampling indicates some of the higher concentrations may be coming from south of the city. Possible sources include restaurants, apartments, breweries, wineries and other businesses that discharge fats, grease or concentrated organic waste.
The consultant cautioned against blaming any single industry, saying the city needs more sampling and enforcement work to identify specific sources.
Improperly maintained grease traps and unusually strong commercial wastewater can increase treatment demands and contribute to sewer blockages.
Determining the source also matters financially. Canandaigua has agreements with Ontario County involving the Canandaigua Lake County Sewer District that could shift a larger share of project expenses to the county if increased loads originate outside the city.
The reverse would apply if testing shows the additional demand is primarily generated inside Canandaigua.
Officials said the sampling program will help ensure each party pays its appropriate share of the biological treatment upgrades.
City seeks full funding for lead-line inventory
The Environmental Committee also recommended applying for approximately $1.6 million through a new state program to finish identifying unknown water service line materials.
The project would investigate about 1,500 service lines where the city does not know whether pipes are made of lead, galvanized metal or another material.
Crews could use hydro excavation near curb stops, creating small test holes with pressurized water and vacuum equipment. Interior inspections, scratch tests and magnets may also be used to identify pipe materials where service lines enter buildings.
Canandaigua previously received access to a zero-interest federal loan for the work but narrowly missed the income-based threshold for grant funding.
The new state program could cover 100% of the inventory cost with no local match. If awarded, the grant would replace the subsidized financing previously offered to the city.
Municipalities must replace lead and galvanized service lines by 2034. Completing the inventory would establish how many lines Canandaigua must address and position the city to seek future replacement grants.
Fence planned around water treatment buildings
The committee also recommended awarding a $132,765 contract for new security fencing at the water treatment plant off West Lake Road.
The plant provides drinking water to more than 40,000 people in Canandaigua and neighboring municipalities.
Storage tanks farther up the property are already fenced, but the administration, filtration and processing buildings do not have a secure perimeter. Officials said someone can currently walk onto the central part of the property, even though the buildings themselves are locked.
A Homeland Security assessment completed last year also identified the open perimeter as a vulnerability.
The project would install chain-link fencing and controlled vehicle gates around the three main buildings while preserving access for deliveries and authorized employees.
ACIA Construction submitted the lowest responsive bid. The city budgeted $150,000 for the project in its 2026 capital plan.
The contractor has not previously worked for Canandaigua but provided references from school districts and commercial clients. The committee voted unanimously to recommend the award.
Waterchase stop signs move forward
After the Environmental Committee adjourned, the Ordinance Committee recommended adding five stop-controlled approaches in the Waterchase development.
The signs would be placed at Kennedy Street approaching Stewart Place from the south, Kennedy Court approaching Stewart Place from the north and Stewart Place approaching Boyce Street from the east.
Boyce Street would also have stop signs where it approaches North Road from the south and Stewart Place from the north.
City staff said the signs are needed to establish right of way as the development’s new streets are completed and paved.
Officials stressed that stop signs are intended to control intersections, not serve as traffic-calming devices.
The changes must receive final approval from the full City Council before they become legally enforceable.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.