Mayor Joshua Garcia talks about Holyoke’s new agreement with Veolia North America at a press conference on Sept. 26.
Photo credit: Veolia North America
HOLYOKE — On Sept. 26, the city of Holyoke hosted a press conference to discuss a new 10-year contract between the city and Veolia North America.
The new contract emphasizes energy recovery, economic development, investment in the existing infrastructure and incentives for Veolia to work with the city to identify new revenue sources.
Along with Mayor Joshua Garcia, speakers included interim DPW Director Mary Monahan and Veolia officials.
Garcia explained that they have announced its renewed partnership with Veolia to continue to operate Holyoke’s wastewater treatment plant for the city, providing high standards of environmental security and professional operation.
Veolia has served Holyoke since 2005, and the new contract will continue Veolia’s partnership with the city and its DPW through 2035, with the opportunity for an additional five-year extension. Holyoke’s leadership reached a unanimous decision to maintain the contractual relationship with Veolia following a competitive bid process.
“Our agreement emphasizes upgrades and operational efficiency and reaffirms our commitment to improve our environmental performance,” Garcia stated.
Veolia will continue operations and management of the conventionally activated sludge plant, capable of treating as much as 17.5 million gallons of wastewater each day. Veolia will also continue to maintain 40 miles of dedicated sewer mains and 77 miles of combined sewer and stormwater mains.
The Holyoke system features 13 combined sewer overflow outfalls, three interceptors and seven remote pumping stations, all of which are held to rigorous regulatory standards by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Now serving 40,000 homes and businesses in Western Massachusetts, Veolia’s modernization initiatives will provide the capacity for it to grow and generate revenue while advancing Holyoke’s efforts to protect the Connecticut River.
Through this new service agreement, Holyoke will become the first city in the Northeast to adopt Veolia’s Hubgrade technology for wastewater treatment, which uses AI-enabled predictive technology, robotics, digital twins and 3D virtual reality systems to analyze system performance.
It will recommend operational adjustments to Veolia’s experienced team at the site and Holyoke’s DPW, which can use Hubgrade insights to reduce energy consumption and chemical use while also extending the useful life of expensive equipment and cutting costs.
The new agreement also recognizes Holyoke’s infrastructure overall and is a key component in Holyoke’s economic development initiatives.
CEO of Veolia’s Municipal Water Contract Operations Joseph Tackett discussed how this agreement will benefit Holyoke. He stated, “Partnering with Holyoke’s Department of Public Works on efficient and effective upgrades will help the City fulfill its potential for economic growth and environmental security. We appreciate the committee’s unanimous decision to renew with Veolia and its recognition of our committed staffers who serve the city every day, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to continue proving our commitment to Holyoke’s future.”
This agreement also recognizes Holyoke’s commitment to being green, working with a team who can partner with the city in identifying opportunities for the plant to generate clean green power and funding to support repairs, maintenance and capital improvements needed at the plant and in the city’s wastewater collection system.
Garcia talked about Holyoke’s commitment and said, “Holyoke remains committed to pioneering sustainable environmental solutions that support our community’s growth and protect our natural resources. This partnership with Veolia exemplifies our dedication to innovation, efficiency, and environmental stewardship, creating a cleaner, healthier future for all residents.”
Along with all the other benefits, the agreement will reduce annual costs by up to a million dollars.
Garcia stated, “I commend Mary Monahan, interim Holyoke DPW director, for initiating and overseeing the Longterm Service Agreement Selection Committee that worked for two years in the best tradition of due diligence before renewing with Veolia.”
Members on this committee included Planning Board Chair Mimi Panitch, City Councilor Mike Sullivan, Andy Fist of American Rivers, retired Holyoke Gas & Electric Engineer Brian Beaugard, and DPW Commissioner Joe Kietner.
Garcia continued, “I also want to thank the entire DPW Board of Commissioners, and the Holyoke City Council for providing the support needed that allowed us to pay for the world class technical team that helped the selection committee.”
