Million-dollar sewer line repair project trickles forward

Electric City’s main sewer line repair job has received an offer of just under a million dollars in a combined grant and loan package from the state Public Works Board, marking a crucial milestone in the quest to prevent failure of the critical infrastructure running parallel to Banks Lake.

The board, which provides grants and loans to municipalities for critical and emergent public works projects, awarded $998,680 — half as a loan and half as a grant — according to the city’s contract engineer, Marissa Siemens of TD&H Engineering.

Once the offer is formally presented to the city with the loan terms finalized, the city council will vote to accept or decline the package. If they accept, the work must be completed within 12 months.

The city council on March 12 declared an emergency regarding the sewer’s deteriorated conditions, which were first discovered through closed-circuit television scoping in March of 2021 based on spalling (degradation of the concrete pipe) detected the prior summer.

The sewer main conveys sewage from Electric City to the treatment facility in Grand Coulee, which treats wastewater for both cities.

Previously, Electrict City was working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to receive Rural Development funds. That application has been lingering with USDA, Mayor Diane Kohout said.