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ENVIRONMENT Medford water plant will get $17.3 million upgrade Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 6, 2015 at 2:22 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 6, 2015 at 2:22 PM » Social News WHITE CITY — Medford's plant that treats Rogue River water for domestic use is about to undergo a $17.3 million expansion to increase the amount of river water it can treat and deliver to city residents and its regional patrons. The Medford Water Commission today awarded a contract for the construction of a major expansion of the systems that remove impurities and sediment from Rogue water as it's treated at the Robert A. Duff Water Treatment Plant off Kirtland Road. When completed in about four years, the improvements to this portion of the plant will pave the way for the plant to treat and deliver up to 65 million gallons of water daily from the Rogue — and do so even during the region's rainy seasons that can greatly increase the amount of sediment in the river. "This is step one, but it's a big step," water commission spokeswoman Laura Hodnett said. "We're still several years away from being a 65 million gallons per day plant." The plant was built in 1968 to tap the Rogue as a supplemental water source to the commission's Big Butte Springs, which generates up to 26.4 million gallons per day, according to the commission. The plant's original design was to treat and deliver 15 million gallons per day; two previous upgrades boosted the capacity to the current 45 million gallons per day. Once the plant's capacity reaches 65 million gallons per day as planned in 2022, there will be no more expansions at the plant now dubbed internally at the commission as "Duff 1," Hodnett said. A new plant would have to be built on site to handle any further increase in Rogue water treated for use by Medford residents and neighboring cities that contract with the commission for water delivery, Hodnett said. The first phase focuses on removing tiny impurities from the water that normal filtration does not remove, Hodnett said. It also will help more sediment settle out of the water during treatment, thereby not clogging filters as readily, she said. The contract went to the Washington firm of McClure and Sons, Inc., which was the low bidder. The treated Rogue water is used mainly during spring, summer and fall when peak demand is higher than in winter, Hodnett said. It is also the period when the Rogue's turbidity tends to be less than during fall and winter, when storm runoff adds sediment. In recent years, the commission's daily deliveries from both sources combined have peaked at less than 55 million gallons per day, but "pre-recession levels" were more than 60 million gallons per day, Hodnett said. The expansion will allow the plant to help the commission meet future demand, but "We don't know our new normal yet," Hodnett said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 6, 2015 at 2:22 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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