Palmer voters asked to approve $5M for sewer maintenance

PALMER — A resolution authorizing the City of Palmer to issue up to $5 million in bonds for water and wastewater management passed unanimously in August, meaning voters will be able to weigh in on the issue in Tuesday’s election

City officials brought Resolution No. 16-018 to the table in July to address years of insufficient maintenance on Palmer’s current wastewater treatment plant, located in the Outer Springer Loop area.

“The sewer system was first installed in the ’50s … and throughout time, we haven’t made a significant investment in the treatment plant,” said Palmer City Manager Nate Wallace.

The city has also struggled to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ammonia regulations in recent years, though that has more to do with federal rule changes than rising concentrations of ammonia in local waters, Wallace said.

While the text of the recent resolution says the bonds will finance “water and wastewater utility and related capital improvements,” Wallace said the majority of the money will go into updating the current treatment facility and master plan. The main changes will be the addition of two moving-bed bioreactors — aerated concrete basins with aluminum covers — and the eventual phasing out of the existing lagoon system, he said.

To pay for the improvements, Wallace said, the city would need to increase monthly household utility bills 12.5 percent in the first year, 9.5 percent the second year, and 8.5 each subsequent year until 2022 — less than initial estimates.