State-of-the-art wastewater plant opens in American Falls

It took two bond votes, eight years and $13.5 million dollars, but a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant in American Falls is finally open.

The facility, located on the western edge of town, is able to process more than one million gallons of wastewater each day. That’s more than double the capacity of the previous plant.

It also comes with other benefits.

“You don’t smell anything. The old plant, depending on which way the wind blew, you always had an odor,” said American Falls Mayor Marc Beitia.

On top of that, the water the plant discharges into the Snake River is a lot cleaner than before.

Peter Cortez, wastewater sanitation superintendent at the plant, said it can filter out 99 percent of all bacteria and 100 percent of E. coli.

“We were having with our old system 40, 45 colony counts. Now we’re at zero to one,” said Cortez.

Beitia said the plant will cost less money to maintain than the old one. But because of the costs of construction, he said water rates should remain the same.