Broken Arrow advances $48.2M biosolids upgrade at Haikey Creek WWTP

Broken Arrow advances $48.2M biosolids upgrade at Haikey Creek WWTPThe municipal authority has awarded a construction contract to Crossland Heavy Contractors for a major biosolids project that will enable the regional plant to independently produce fertilizer and end its reliance on Tulsa's sludge handling facilities.

Crossland Heavy Contractors won the $48,199,000 construction contract for the Haikey Creek WWTP biosolids improvements.

Project costs are split 50/50 between Broken Arrow and the City of Tulsa.

A $9.6 million USDA grant reduces Broken Arrow's final financial share to $19,299,500.

Construction is expected to take 730 days, with the facility mandated to be online within three years to meet grant requirements.

The city also reported peak water production nearing 26 million gallons during extreme August heat.

The Broken Arrow Municipal Authority (BAMA) has formally awarded a $48,199,000 construction contract to Crossland Heavy Contractors for major biosolids improvements at the Regional Metropolitan Utility Authority (RMUA) Haikey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The cost of the extensive infrastructure project will be split evenly between Broken Arrow and the City of Tulsa, which share the regional facility. The municipalities secured a $9.6 million grant from the USDA, which is also shared equally. After applying the federal funds, Broken Arrow’s half of the project totals $19,299,500. Emily Roland, Broken Arrow's Environmental Division Manager, noted that the project has been in planning for at least five to six years. Once complete, the upgrade will allow the Haikey Creek facility to manage its own biosolids and produce fertilizer independently, eliminating the current practice of transporting sludge to one of Tulsa's treatment plants. The construction timeline is set for 730 days. According to Roland, the federal grant stipulates that the facility must be online and producing fertilizer within three years, a target the city expects to comfortably meet. "The first probably six months to a year of it will just be a lot of approving submittals and ordering the equipment," Roland told the authority, noting that federal requirements such as Build America, Buy America applied to the procurement. In a separate update during the September 1 meeting, the City Manager reported on the utility's water production amid extreme late-summer heat. The city's water treatment plant reached production levels near 26 million gallons during peak periods in August, and is currently sustaining output at over 20 million gallons. Utility staff, led by Tim Robbins, are closely monitoring system pressure and production metrics as high temperatures persist into September.