In preparation for the soon-to-be-established North Zumbro Sanitary Sewer District, and with an eye to keeping costs in check for residents, the city of Wanamingo has entered into a professional services agreement to establish a sump pump program.
Though $10 million for preliminary design work was included in the 2022 bonding bill, it will likely be at least 2028 before a wastewater treatment facility is operational, and the bulk of state funding needed to ease reduce the costs borne by residents remains mostly unsecured.
While current sewer rates are affordable for Wanamingo residents, the current facility suffers from regular flooding and is considered to have reached the end of its useful life, having been first constructed in the late 1960s and last upgraded in the 1990s.
Wanamingo is one of many towns in Greater Minnesota with outdated wastewater infrastructure. In fact, the neighboring communities of Goodhue, Pine Island and Zumbrota face similar issues, which led them to collaborate to develop the plan for a joint sanitary sewer district.
By combining into one sanitary sewer district, the four communities have the opportunity to address their wastewater treatment needs at a price similar to constructing four new facilities, while benefiting greatly from long-term savings thanks to increased operational efficiency.
In order to pay for any new sanitary sewer plant, residents will see a significant increase in their sewer rates. However, securing a 50% project cost match from the state would limit the increase to about $50 per month on the average user, rather than over $200.
At the state Capitol, the NZSSD project and others like it have significant support from leaders in both parties. However, even the enactment of a generously sized bonding bill this session would only cover a relatively small share of requests from across the state.
Given that the average sewer bill is $63 a month, sewer bills would still double, even with state funding. However, Project Engineer Brandon Theobald of WHKS & Co. said that reducing I&I (Inflow and Infiltration) leakage into the wastewater could provide significant relief.
With a price tag of over $70,000, the sump pump program approved by the council with WHKS won’t be cheap. However, Theobald and his boss Bill Angerman, WHKS’s executive vice president and COO, tout the long-term savings it has provided in other communities.
Theobold estimated that perhaps $30 per month could be saved on sewer bills if the sump pump program is successful in dramatically reducing I&I as it has been in other towns. It will include mandatory sump pump inspection for all residents and businesses.
I&I can enter the wastewater system from a variety of sources, including from public sources such as cracked sewer mains and manholes. However, given the sheer volume of water they produce, one sump pump flowing into the sewer can have a massive impact at peak times.
Under the sump pump program, the cost of inspections along with re-inspections if necessary will be fully covered by the city. WHKS’s team will inspect the discharge locations of sump pumps and interior foundation drains (beaver drains).
If a resident or business fails their sump pump inspection, they will be expected to address the issues identified and request a re-inspection. Failure to do so could result in a hefty surcharge being added to their sanitary sewer bill, but Theobald said compliance tends to be very high.
According to the contract, inspections won’t include dye tracing to determine an unclear sump pump discharge point. However, Theobold suggested that “smoke testing,” or blowing smoke into the sewer system, is one option to detect improper discharge.
Inspections are expected to begin late summer and run through next year. About half of the contract will cover the cost of 450 inspections and 45 re-inspections, with the remainder paying for project management and meetings, program setup and a final report next summer.
Most Popular
Comments / 0