HOT SPRINGS – This Friday, Dec. 12, at 5:30 p.m., the City of Hot Springs is hosting a public meeting in regards to the wastewater treatment facility and its need for a $27 million improvement project. The plant, which was built in 1984 but still uses equipment dating back to the 1940s, is considered to be 15 to 20 years past its useful life.
According to information provided on the city’s website, if the project were funded entirely by a 30-year lowinterest loan from the state – assuming no grant funding or principal forgiveness programs were secured – the estimated increase to a typical sewer bill would be an additional $90 per month.
The current schedule for the meeting will include a summary of the proposed improvements to be presented by city officials, as well as the engineering company AE2S which constructed the plan. This will be followed by speakers from the Black Hills Council of Local Governments who will explain the funding options. The meeting will then conclude with an opportunity for the city council to ask questions of the speakers, followed by a time for the audience members to ask questions as well.
According to Mayor Bob Nelson, anyone who receives a utility bill from the city should attend the meeting to hear all of the speakers and to ask questions. Additionally, anyone who lives along Fall River between the city limits and Maverick Junction should attend as well, due to the impact the proposed upgrades at the wastewater facility may have along that corridor.
Currently, when the treated effluent water leaves the city’s treatment facility, it travels by gravity-fed pipe to a pair of storage ponds located about five miles away, to east of the Coffee Cup Fuel Stop at Maverick Junction. That water is then used by rancher Gary Romey to irrigate crops.
As noted in the Executive Summary of the 137page Wastewater System Facility Plan found on the city’s website at hs-sd.org, some of the factors which are driving the need for improvements at the 41year old facility include aging infrastructure, odor and corrosion, safety and efficiency and regulatory compliance.
“Loss of operational control” of the two aforementioned storage ponds east of town is also listed as a factor driving a change at the wastewater treatment plant, which will require additional upgrades to ensure the effluent is safe enough to discharge into either Fall River or the Cheyenne River.
Romey, however, made it known during ‘Communications From The Public’ at the Nov. 17 council meeting that he has no desire to change his arrangement with the city and wants to see their contract renewed, which would help save the city money and eliminate the need to make a change in that regard.