Moving the sewer plant to a new site would cost tens of millions of dollars more than a remodel of the current plant in Santa Rita Park.
After consultants presented an analysis of the two alternative sewer plant sites Tuesday, Durango city councilors expressed some dismay at the potential hefty price tags for new sites and the corresponding bill increases.
The councilors will not make a decision on the future of the plant until they hear from the public. But if the councilors are going to ask residents to approve a bond issue for the sewer plant on the November ballot, they must make a decision by the first week of September.
The councilors have considered remodeling the plant for about $58 million. However, they wanted to consider what it would cost to move the plant downstream before making a decision.
A new plant north of the La Plata County jail would cost about $79 million to build, said Pat Mulhern, president of Mulhern MRE. However, the parcel the consultants considered is currently owned by La Plata County, and it is not for sale.
Building a plant near La Posta Road could cost about $94 million, Mulhern said.
Buying land and building infrastructure to transport wastewater downstream makes up most of the additional cost, he said.
The councilors wanted to explore whether combining services with South Durango Sanitation District would be more efficient than operating two systems.
But Mulhern found that South Durango has enough capacity to serve the La Posta Road area and Three Springs.
The city is going to raise sewer rates in 2016 and 2017 to help pay for either a remodel or a new plant.
For a remodel, sewer customers will likely pay on average about $57 per month by 2019, said Mary Beth Miles, assistant to the city manager.
But for a new plant near the La Plata County jail, customers would need to pay on average $72 per month by 2019, she said.
Councilor Sweetie Marbury said rate increases for a new plant would be tough to shoulder for young people and those on fixed incomes.
“Sooner or later, the people are just going to look at their pocketbook and say: “Wait a minute,” Marbury said.
Mulhern will present his findings about alternative sewer locations again during a public meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
