Huge generator delivered to Perrysburg treatment plant

Wooden planks were used to raise a generator, weighing 45,000 pounds, as it is delivered to the Perrysburg wastewater treatment plant through Orleans Park.

The Blade/Katie Rausch
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Wooden planks were used to raise a generator, weighing 45,000 pounds, as it is delivered to the Perrysburg wastewater treatment plant through Orleans Park.

A 40-foot long, nine-foot wide, and 17-foot tall load, weighing 32,000 pounds, was transported to the Perrysburg wastewater treatment plant on Wednesday, shutting temporarily part of U.S. 20.

The equipment being moved was a generator from Wisconsin. The road at the entrance of Orleans Park was closed briefly because of the oversized load. The road was shut for about 10 minutes and had lanes restricted for another 20 minutes.

“It took a lot of backing up with the awkward entrance and steep grade,” said David Fairchild of Buckeye Power Sales, which the city hired for the delivery. 

Delivery of the generator disrupted traffic.

The generator has the capacity to put out about 2,000 amps for 24 hours, or enough to power about 100 homes. It will allow the treatment plant to stay in operation during a power outage. It will supply emergency power to critical systems of the plant when electricity service is down. It will sit outside of the plant on a concrete plant.

The generator cost about $270,000. It was manufactured by Kohler Power Systems in Kohler, Wisc., just north of Milwaukee. The delivery, all by truck, was about $8,000 to $9,000.

No other roads were shut down for the delivery, but the angled and steep entrances at the plant caused more maneuvering and prompted the need to close U.S. 20.