Fraser’s wastewater treatment plant may need to double in size to accommodate projected population growth in the next two decades, according to updates shared by the town’s Director of Public Works, Paul Johnson, at a March 18 meeting.

Based on Johnson’s briefing, which examined the projected increase of households and businesses across the town, the wastewater plant will require the capacity to process five million gallons of water per day by 2046. Currently, its capacity is 2.499 million gallons per day.

In the next 20 years, the town expects its equivalent residential units, or the number of single-family homes that require wastewater facilities, to double, Johnson said. Wastewater customers’ billing rates are based on these equivalent residential units.

Town Manager Michael Brack noted that expanding the plant will be a significant cost burden, and Fraser will bear the brunt of the costs, given that the town is expected to become the plant’s biggest user.

“It’s in the ballpark of $25-35 million just to accommodate the expansion,” Brack said at the meeting. “It’s gonna be a substantial cost to the town for our portion.”

The plant recently came under fire after it received several discharge permit violations caused by elevated amounts of biochemical oxygen and nitrogen in wastewater streams. An ongoing dispute remains as to what caused the violations, and the town is continuing to monitor its operations.

The state-regulated wastewater plant is owned and operated jointly by the town of Fraser, Grand County Water and Sanitation District Number 1, and Winter Park Ranch Water and Sanitation District. According to Johnson, the Grand County sanitation district currently uses more water than the town. However, Fraser’s usage is expected to exceed that of the county district in the coming years, requiring the town to bear a larger portion of the plant’s maintenance costs.

According to Johnson’s briefing, the town’s size will increase by 1,475 water-using households over the next 10 years and 3,350 at the 20-year mark. Therefore, the wastewater plant will need to upgrade its design to accommodate an additional 2,479 average-sized households.

Winter Park Ranch will see a net decrease of 404 households, Johnson said, while Grand County Sanitation District 1 projected a net increase of 1,480. Still, their total allocation would come to 4,635 — below the town’s expected allocation of 5,375.

Town staff clarified that the projected growth is subject to change, pending communications with developers.