The Village of Rhinebeck recently completed an upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant by replacing a 23-year-old plate-and-frame dewatering sludge press with a new state-of-the-art volute dewatering press.

In a news release, Mayor Jim Reardon said, “The installation of this new equipment will lead to a much more efficient and cost-effective operation. It is much more energy-efficient, eliminates the need to use lime and ferric chloride in processing, resulting in a savings of approximately $24,000 yearly. It also gives us the ability to provide for future build-out, which we did not have with the old equipment.”

He added, “We have several proposed projects on the horizon that may lead to the need for additional processing capability. Technology has advanced exponentially over the years and we are now up-to-date and positioned for the future.”

Reardon thanked Chief Operator Anthony Gasparini and village trustee Brant Neuneker, liaison to the department, “for seeing this to a successful conclusion.”

The total cost for the project was projected to be $500,000, but final figures are not yet available.