City Council Votes to Move Forward with Water Treatment Plant

By Gordon Hopkins The Fairbury City Council voted unanimously to move forward with construction of both a temporary and permanent water treatment plant at a meeting Tuesday evening, February 3, 2026.Olsson, an engineering and design firm headquartered in Lincoln, has been running three test-pilot programs to address the water quality issues that have plagued the city’s water supply for years. The East Wellfield has consistently tested in the higher rage for nitrates, while the Crystal Springs well has been offline since 2001 due to the presence of biofilm. Those pilot programs use Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR), a wastewater treatment process that uses specialized bacteria. The pilots have been completed and the results encouraging, according to officials.Craig Reinsch, lead engineer with Olsson’s Water and Wastewater team, spoke at the meeting about the progress made over the past years, “We've completed the design of the high service pumping station replacement and a new 12-inch water line along force Fourth Street. We've compiled the new recommended water treatment plan information into a summary report.” The city continues to struggle not just with quality but quantity of available drinking water for years. It is hoped that bringing the Crystal Springs well back online will alleviate that problem. Reinsch noted the East Wells were never intended to be a primary source of water for Fairbury.“The East wells were originally designed as more of a secondary source, but they've been a primary source and more of a peaking source during the summer,” said Reinsch. “We've seen nitrates go up. We've seen the water levels drop. And so, the commission was, what can we do to get Crystal Springs up and operational?” Reinsch presented the water treatment plant design and schematics.The construction of a permanent treatment plant is expected to take approximately two years. Therefore, Reinsch said, “We also have plans for temporary treatment that will allow us to start utilizing Crystal Springs during the interim while we're designing and building the new treatment facilities.”Funding will come from a $24.4 million USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) grant and a $1.78 million QCT (Qualified Census Tract) grant. Bidding is expected to begin later in February or March of this year, pending USDA funding approval. Reinsch said, “We are also planning to concurrently bid the permanent and temporary equipment procurement, but again, that's subject to funding, approval and provision, so we have sent it to Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment. They've given us the thumbs up on the procurement. We're waiting for the thumbs up on the high service pump station.”

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