Santaquin plans for new sewage-treatment plant

SANTAQUIN, Utah County — Construction of a new sewage-treatment plant could begin as early as December.

The proposed plant on a 5-acre site at the north end of Center Street would replace the city's sewer lagoons west of the city, which are at capacity. Qualified contractors will bid on the tentative $16.3 million plant in November, which may drive the cost down.

"We anticipate it will be less," city planner Dennis Marker said.

The city is scheduled to close Dec. 1 on a series of bonds, which with loans and grants the city toggled together, will finance the project.

However, rates could double for some residents. Monthly sewer bills must average $42 to pay for the plant. The average now is $22.

"The simplest way is to raise the base rate $20," Mayor Jim DeGraffenreid said Wednesday during a City Council work session. Councilman Jim Linford said he favors a small boost to the base rate and an increase to the usage fee to give residents more control over the cost.

City officials say the plant is the first in Utah to reclaim water so it can be reused in the city's pressurized irrigation system. The system would treat the effluent and mix it with other sources, conserving the city's drinking water.

— Rodger L. Hardy