West Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion
Summary
The city is upgrading sewer capacity in phases; this contract replaces roughly 2,800 feet of force main from Lift Station 300 to the treatment plant. Council members noted sharply rising construction costs.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 8
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 2 meetings in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 14, 2026.
Impact analysis
$1.63 million contract — costs have roughly doubled compared to a few years ago.
Residents and businesses relying on the city's sewer system, especially on the treatment plant service side.
Existing residents could face higher water, sewer and trash bills to repay the loan.
Mentions & discussions (8)
Regular City Council Meeting — October 14, 2026
The West Wastewater Treatment Plant sits partly on federal land leased since 2001. The council wants to renew the 25-year lease and eventually patent (buy) the land outright from the BLM.
Regular City Council Meeting — September 23, 2026
The city locked in a $12.15M state loan to finish expanding its wastewater plants, with $4M forgiven — roughly a 30% grant. Repaid over ~25 years from wastewater revenues, so it shields the general budget but wastewater customers carry the debt.
Regular City Council Meeting — August 26, 2026
The council clarified the 50-foot setback rule around wastewater treatment plants so ADEQ reads it the way the city intended during the plant's expansion permitting. No distance changed — the odors, noise, and aesthetics controls just clearly kick in for anything within 50 feet.
Regular City Council Meeting — June 10, 2026
The city awarded the big sewer plant expansion contract — originally bid at $41.1 million, negotiated down to about $36.87 million after a 2025 CMAR attempt fell through at $58 million. Staff is seeking an additional WIFA loan to cover funding.
Regular City Council Meeting — May 13, 2026
The expansion bid came in at $41 million — $15 million above the approved amount — so the city is seeking another $12 million in low-interest state loans, with the rest from wastewater reserves. Council members worry residents will bear the cost through higher utility rates and impact fees, but without the expansion, the West plant (already at ~95% capacity) would force a stop to westside growth and eventually limit the whole city.
Regular City Council Meeting — February 25, 2026
The city is paying PACE an extra $272,887 because the project shifted from a CMAR delivery to design-bid-build, splitting off the force main as a separate package. That's added design and construction-management work on a critical sewer infrastructure project.
Regular City Council Meeting — February 11, 2026
The city is upgrading sewer capacity in phases; this contract replaces roughly 2,800 feet of force main from Lift Station 300 to the treatment plant. Council members noted sharply rising construction costs.
Regular City Council Meeting — January 28, 2026
Public Works was to brief the council on the expansion of the West Wastewater Treatment Plant — key infrastructure for the city's growth and sewer capacity. The council could give staff direction on next steps.
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