HUMBOLDT — It’s official. Council will be moving forward with a $34 million upgrade to the city’s wastewater treatment system.
Council voted to move ahead at a special meeting on Dec. 13.
“Now we’re at a stage where we want to start setting up capital accounts, start checking out loan options, and ensuring that we get the best bang for our buck on those topics,” Peter Bergquist, the city’s public works director, told council.
The city currently has a traditional lagoon system that is constructed to accommodate a population of up to 6,000 people, and is now near capacity.
The new submerged aerated growth reactor (SAGR) system will increase the city’s treatment capacity to a population of 10,000.
In June, the provincial and federal governments announced that they would contributing nearly $25 million to the project, leaving the city on the hook for the remaining $9 million.
“I greatly appreciate all of administration’s work to ensure that those are the best bang for our buck, and that we utilize whatever grants we have available to keep the overhead to our taxpayers to a minimum,” said Michael Behiel, Humboldt’s mayor.
“I appreciate as well that you’ve checked that all in advance and make those recommendations so I’m comfortable with [going ahead].”
Coun. Rob Muench said it’s important to note the environment concerns of those that live downstream of the wastewater facility.
“I definitely concur with that, that we need to do whatever we can to mitigate our environmental footprint as much as possible. But recognizing sometimes the financial limitations of doing that as well,” Behiel said.
