Case Study: City of Leominster achieves 25‑year safety milestone and major cost savings with Veolia North America

Environmental and Safety Achievements in Leominster

The City of Leominster partnered with Veolia North America under a long‑standing design/build and operate/maintain/manage (O&M) agreement to run its water and wastewater system, including a 4‑MGD and 1.2‑MGD surface water plants, a 9.3‑MGD advanced secondary wastewater plant, chlorination station, clear wells and nine pump stations. Veolia’s challenge was to phase out one of the nation’s oldest activated sludge plants while improving safety, regulatory compliance, sludge disposal, system reliability and security across treatment, septage receiving and sludge hauling operations.

Veolia North America carried out major plant rehabilitations (including mechanical/electrical replacements), instrumentation upgrades, evaluation of alternative sludge‑disposal options, construction of a fully automated off‑site contact tank, a Security Vulnerability Assessment and Emergency Response Plan, plus hazardous‑materials and routine O&M training. Those actions helped Leominster achieve 25 years with only one lost‑time accident, deliver more than $300,000 in annual savings (with a projected $2 million saving on a new 2‑MGD reservoir treatment plant), secure a contract renewal and earn multiple O&M and safety awards.

City of Leominster