The city of Indianola has awarded a $45.6 million contract to build a new wastewater treatment plant to replace its outdated plant and meet the state’s new stricter environmental regulations. The city council awarded the contract to Houston-based Williams Brothers Construction. In addition to meeting all required regulations, the Indianola Water Resource Recovery Facility will be among the first wastewater treatment plants in the state to implement the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy aimed at reducing the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorus into receiving streams, city officials said in a news release. The city has been working to move the project forward for the past six years, Indianola City Manager Ryan Waller said. The new plant will also incorporate an innovative design that allows it to function in a cost-effective manner on a regular basis because of a built-in secondary peak flow treatment that will activate only in extreme, as-needed circumstances. The city will be using 100% of the funds raised by the new Local Option Sales Tax for the wastewater treatment plant project.