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With deadline looming, no site selected for sewer plant

Ballot deadline is approaching
Durango’s wastewater-treatment plant is located near residential neighborhoods, close to the new whitewater park, along a highway that carries thousands of tourists each year, and just south of downtown Durango in Santa Rita Park.

Durango city councilors plan to finalize ballot language Tuesday that will ask voters in November to approve spending $68 million on moving the sewer plant, but councilors haven’t decided where to put it, and voters likely will not know, either.

The deadline for completing the ballot question is a week away. If councilors agree Tuesday on what to ask, it will keep the timetable for construction intact while giving councilors time to consider options for moving the plant out of Santa Rita Park.

“We’re not in a hurry to pick a site,” Mayor Dean Brookie said.

If councilors don’t approve the question by Friday, it can’t be placed on the November ballot, and the project would be delayed by at least a year. Brookie is hopeful councilors will have a location identified before the debt question goes to voters.

City officials say they have looked at every possible parcel where a new sewer plant could go without finding a viable alternative to its current location in Santa Rita Park, and they are on a tight timeline to build a new plant that will meet state regulations.

But critics say there must be other options that haven’t been pursued.

Councilors considered a resolution earlier this month that would have formalized their intent to remodel and slightly expand the existing plant. But after hearing extensive public testimony, they decided to wait to pick a site to see if other options could be found. The same resolution could be back on Tuesday’s agenda.

Without knowing where the sewer plant will be located, it may be difficult to tell voters how much it will cost.

The Santa Rita Park plant remodel would require an estimated $58 million, and the city plans to ask for an additional $10 million in contingency money that could be used for the plant or other infrastructure projects.

If the city finds the ideal site for a sewer plant after the ballot language is approved, the city would have to go back to the voters if the project were to cost more than the $68 million, City Manager Ron LeBlanc said.

Councilors recently considered two alternative plant sites but rejected them because of the hefty cost.

A new plant north of the La Plata County jail would cost about $79 million to build. Building a plant near La Posta Road (County Road 213) could cost about $94 million, according to a study by Mulhern MRE.

Moving the plant to one of those sites would require purchasing the land and laying extensive piping to move all the wastewater that flows into Santa Rita. City customers would likely have to pay an additional $15 to $22 more per month to finance the infrastructure, LeBlanc said. That would come in addition to the fee increases that are already planned for 2016 and 2017.

The city also looked at other sites, including the Durango Dog Park, land near the Animas-La Plata pumping station and several private parcels across the river from Mercury Payment Systems, among others.

The Dog Park was found unsuitable because of uranium tailings, and the Animas-La Plata pumping station could require considerable negotiations with the Bureau of Reclamation and the group that manages Lake Nighthorse, LeBlanc said.

The time required to negotiate buying land to build a new plant also presents a challenge to meet the state’s deadline for updated regulations.

A remodel could likely start 19 months after the November election. But construction on a new plant could be delayed until after the city’s wastewater-plant permit expires in 2018. If this happened, the state health department could require the city to invest in the old plant while construction is going on, LeBlanc said.

“We’d be spending money that can’t be recovered,” he said.

Despite these challenges, some residents argue moving the plant out of Santa Rita Park is achievable and worth paying for.

“I, personally, am willing to give up $15 of my monthly beer money to move the sewage treatment plant,” said Dave McHenry, a vocal resident.

Another critic, Dick Reitz, is hopeful the city will find a new location that would be comparable in price to the Santa Rita location.

“I am feeling more encouraged about it,” he said.

Leaving the plant in Santa Rita Park is also unsavory for some members of the council, and that’s one of the reasons they are unlikely to vote on a location before approving the ballot question.

“We’re trying to leave the site selection open for as long as possible,” Brookie said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com

Aug 31, 2015
Sewer plant proves vexing


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