CHICOPEE – At its Feb. 18 meeting, the city council approved the appropriation of $100,000 to pay for a nitrogen removal service for the city’s wastewater treatment program.

In a letter to Mayor John Vieau, Elizabette Botelho, the Department of Public Works supervisor, wrote the Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection had issued an annual average for the nitrogen level in the city’s waste water. She told Vieau the current equipment is almost 50 years old and “was not designed to provide for nitrogen removal in its current state.”

The $100,000 allocation was to provide “a comprehensive removal study” by Woodard & Curran to assess the current system and to identify interim process improvements and identify new discharge options.

In response to the appropriation, Councilor James Tillotson expressed concern about how much the new system would ultimately cost the city. “This is the beginning of a long journey,” he predicted.

The council also approved $40,000 for a new operating system at the Water Pollution Control and Jones Ferry facilities. The program is more than 10 years old.

Botelho explained to Vieau, “Microsoft no longer supports the operating system of the control computers and the units themselves are close to imminent failure, which would be catastrophic. The system controls most of the vital components at both facilities and at many pump station throughout the city.”

The council also approved a renewal of the agreement that merged the Chicopee IT Department with the Public Schools. Councilor Derek Dobosz said, “It’s a really good idea. It’s going to save the city money in the long run.”