Wastewater Master Plan Approved Post Falls Prepares For Growth, But Hasn’T Decided How To Pay For $22 Million Project

City Council members approved a final plan Tuesday that calls for $22 million worth of improvements to its wastewater treatment facilities.

The plan outlines the city’s predicted growth and explains the city’s future wastewater needs, including expanding the treatment plant, building 12 new pump stations, updating machinery and installing new pipelines.

How the large project will be paid for has yet to be determined. After public hearings on the issue, council members will vote on increased hook-up fees and monthly billing next month.

The master plan cost the city $180,000 and three years to arrange. It was created by Jim Kimball of Kimball Engineering. Kimball has produced wastewater master plans for Hayden, Spirit Lake, Lewiston and Moscow.

“We had a chance to see rapid growth and respond to it,” Kimball said. “New development will pay its own way.”

Increased hook-up fees would pay the $17 million price tag for the treatment facility’s expansion. An option that council members will consider in September is a one-time increase in residents’ rates from $2,329 to $2,869 and commercial rates from $1,834 to $2,260.

In addition to paying for the treatment facility, the hook-up fees would also pay to update existing lift stations, new force mains and new pipes.

A 4.5 percent increase in monthly fees for everyone could occur in the 2001-2002 budget if council members approve the increase, said Jim Hammond, city administrator. Also, in future budgets, council members will vote on the increased rates for the project’s expansion.

“We don’t know exactly when we’ll implement any phase,” Hammond said, citing the annual vote to pay for the expansions.

Rathdrum’s wastewater also is treated at the Post Falls facility, so its residents would also pay the higher treatment fees.

The facility currently treats 2 million gallons of wastewater per day. With a daily capacity of 3.1 million gallons and the city’s annual 12 percent growth rate, it was clear that a plan had to be adopted, Councilman Clay Larkin said.

“We’re trying to keep up with the times,” Larkin said. “We’d like to think it’s a long-term plan - it all hinges on growth. We’ve got a good calculation, but we could have a huge influx or leveling off.”

With such large costs to expand, all expenses need to be accounted for, Larkin said. Council members have held off adopting the plan for the past month, asking for clearer information and costs.

It’s “a huge investment and we’ve got to be a good watchdog,” Larkin said of the entire cost.

Larkin also questioned whether the city spent its money on the best possible master plan.

The adopted plan accounts for additional growth within the city’s 14,000 acres. By expanding in phases, the treatment facility will be able to treat 4 million gallons a day. That growth could take 15 years to occur, Kimball said.

The upgraded facilities will be built to expand in the future to treat 6 million gallons on a daily basis - a situation that could happen within the next 30 years.

The adopted plan also includes a $20 million skeleton plan for new pipes, paid for by future developers.

With 10 acres to build on at the treatment plant, Kimball said the facility could eventually triple in size.

Post Falls’ new fees, which could begin in October, would cost residents and businesses more than Coeur d’Alene’s fees, but less than Hayden’s, Kimball said.

Post Falls’ population grew to 15,700 in 1998 - up 114 percent from 1990. Today its population is about 16,500 and is expected to grow to 22,000 by 2002.

Work has already been completed on two of the city’s largest pump stations, on Third and Fourth streets. They were upgraded this spring.