Portion of Fox River Trail in Batavia to close through end of year

Part of the Fox River Trail in Batavia will be closed starting May 8 to accommodate construction work at Batavia's sewage treatment plant.

The portion of the trail next to the plant, which is on the west side of the Fox River, will be closed from Union Avenue to First Street.

It will likely be closed the rest of the year, city officials said.

Cyclists and pedestrians will instead be directed to take Union to Water Street, then Water to First.

Construction began earlier this week on improvements. The first phase includes constructing a new main building, which will house offices, a maintenance garage and a sludge dewatering area.

The second and third phases are still being designed.

Overall, the city expects to spend as much as $60 million to improve the plant, including expanding its capacity. It is replacing aged equipment and installing equipment to reduce phosphorus discharged into the river to meet stricter federal antipollution standards.

The plant is near its capacity to treat maximum sewage flow and in its ability to handle the amount of organic waste generated by animals and humans; and over capacity to handle solid substances suspended or floating in water. Because of this, the state gets to review requests for additional connections to the sewer system.