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Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements (completed)

PROGRESS UPDATES:

July 13, 2021:  Council approved Resolution 2021-41accepting the Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements.  This project is complete.

  • April 13, 2021:  City engineer reported the contractor is down to punch-list items and expects final acceptance of the project in July.
  • February 9, 2021:  City engineer reported the SAGR system is installed and the UV system should be fully operation by spring.  The contractor will ask for an extension at the March City Council meeting extending the completion of the Project to May 2021.
  • December 8, 2020:  City engineer reported there have been delays with the SAGR system due to COVID-19; however, it is excepted to be operational by the end of December.  Due to the nature of the work remaining, acceptance of this project will most likely be Spring 2021.
  • October 13, 2020:  City engineer reported that the project is currently ahead of schedule; however, progress will slow down with cooler weather.
  • July 14, 2020:  City engineer reported that progress continues and the project is close to being on schedule.
  • May 12, 2020: C.L. Carroll began work on this project in January and continues to move forward.

December 2019 Update: The City has received construction bids on the project that ranged from $4.2 million to $4.7 million (a bit larger than first estimate 9 months ago at $3.2 million).   The city engineer and the contractor have identified design changes that will reduce the construction cost to $4.1 million with the overall project costing $4.7 million.  The City Council has approved the design changes and awarded the contract to C.L. Carroll Company, who began preliminary work in November.   The City Council has decided to fund this project through two bonds as well as $600,000 in reserves the City has saved in anticipation of this project.  The first will be a general obligation bond for $1.1 million, which can be paid from multiple sources (TIF, LOST, property taxes).  The other will be for $3 million paid from a Sewer Revenue Bond.  This will require increases in our sewer fees.  We will have an 8% increase for 3 years and then level off at 3% increases annually to cover operational cost increases.  With these increases our minimum monthly sewer bill will still be lower than many of our neighboring communities.

Rate Comparison for 3000 gallons:

Fiscal Year          19/20                     20/21                     21/22                     22/23

Adel                      38.25
Dallas Center        22.29                    24.07                     26.00                     28.08
Desoto                  52.18
Granger                55.25
Grimes                  21.57
Minburn                54.80
Woodward            73.00
 

In 2006 the City’s NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit expired and we had been made aware that when the new permit was issued, we would be mandated to meet stricter guidelines which would require the City to upgrade our facility.  The new requirements would impose limits on ammonia nitrogen in the effluent and limits on e-coli bacteria in the effluent.  The existing lagoon system, while capable of meeting permit requirements at the time of construction in 1986, is not able to meet these two new requirements.

In 2016 we received our new permit requirements and began discussing what design options were available to us. 

In 2018 the Council decided to pursue a SAGR system and instructed Veenstra & Kimm (our city engineers) to begin the design process. 

October 2019:  DNR approved the proposed SAGR design for the sewer treatment plant.