The Durango City Council accepted a $1 million grant Monday for the engineering and design of a new sewer plant.
The grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs can be used if the council elects to remodel the current Durango Waste Water Treatment Plant or build a new plant further downstream from Santa Rita Park, said City Manager Ron LeBlanc.
The grant requires about $1.1 million in matching funds, for a total of about $2.14 million toward engineering and design, according to a city staff report.
Design and engineering costs for the new plant could reach $4 million, although it likely will be less, LeBlanc said.
The council raised sewer rates this year to fund sewer-plant construction and other infrastructure improvements.
If the current plant is remodeled, consultants estimate it will cost about $55 million. The city will be seeking more grants to help fund construction, LeBlanc said.
The wastewater-plant upgrades must be built to stay in compliance with new state standards for nitrogen and phosphorous effluent. An overabundance of these nutrients can cause harmful algae blooms in large quantities. Durango will be held accountable to these standards in 2023.
This summer the city hired engineering consultants to do a feasibility study on moving the plant downstream. The consultants will analyze combining the plant with South Durango Sanitation District and identify another potential location, LeBlanc said.
A main consideration for the city is the distance the wastewater will need to travel to the treatment plant.
“The more you pump, the more you pay,” he said.
However, if the wastewater flows downhill naturally, that can help control costs.
The results of the feasibility study will be announced in August, LeBlanc said. This could help councilors make a decision on whether to move the plant before going to the voters.
The voters may be asked to allow the city to take on debt for the sewer-plant project in November, and if it passes, work could start in 2016.
The project would not require a tax increase because it is funded through user’s fees.
Consultants recommended the city grow the sewer-fund revenue by 25 percent in both 2016 and 2017, which would require additional rate increases for residents.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
