The Danville City Commission has approved a $58,000 contract for a wastewater master capacity plan with HDR for the plant on Stanford Road.

“This is very similar to the water system master plan study that we did in the 2007 era, where we evaluated the system capacity and system demand, as well as the existing facilities, the condition of those and the expected lifecycle of those,” City Engineer Earl Coffey said. “The last study we did was about 1998-2000, which was the last time the wastewater plant was upgraded.”

While the full contact amount is $58,000, only $43,000 of that is spent initially — the other $15,000 is available only if the city and HDR run into further expenses and the commission approves, Coffey said.

“We want to be in a position that we can make an effective recommendation on the wastewater plant prior to 2018, which is your 20-year expected life of the last approved wastewater treatment plant,” he said. “So whether or not we make it 22 years, or 25 years or if we make it 20 years — we don’t know that, but we want to be prepared for that in the event that something happens.”

The capacity plan would outline what the city should do to expand its wastewater treatment capacity to handle increasing needs. Danville anticipates handling wastewater from sewers in the Burgin and Hustonville areas in the future, Coffey said.

The wastewater plan is a separate project from the city’s ongoing water treatment upgrade project.

Danville Chief Financial Officer Michele Gosser said Danville will finish paying off its previous sewer upgrade in 2020.

“So this is totally in line with what was supposed to happen,” she said.