The town of Broadus will be updating several facets of the sewer lagoon in the near future, which will likely lead to an increase in user’s monthly sewer bill. The changes include updated pumps for the lagoon, and the addition of riff raff rock to one of the settling ponds.
The updates come as the Montana Department of Environmental Quality continually tightens its standards for sewer lagoons; the Broadus sewer system has seen few updates since the 70s.
The original pumps for the lagoon were installed as far back as the 70s, according to Raymond Ragsdale. Parts are becoming impossible to find – when the pumps needed work over the last few years, machinists had to build the parts from scratch as no replacement parts have been manufactured recently.
Additionally, the old pumps have had “a rag problem”, according to Ragsdale. Once a week, Ragsdale has to go out and remove cloth rags which have clogged the pump impellers; enough rags are being flushed to fill a five gallon bucket every few weeks. The new pumps will better handle this issue, though the best option – not flushing cloth rags down the toilet, would be a nice addition to the party, while we’re changing things.
The updated pumps, Russell Engineering lift pumps, will be stationed near the cemetery road, on the Broadus side of the sewer lagoon.
The need for riff raff rock in pond 3 (the furthest distant pond from Broadus), comes as a result of erosion of the pond. Rock which is up to DEQ standard will need to be hauled from near Spearfish, according to Ragsdale.
These changes come with a hefty price tag. Current estimates are in the neighborhood of 1.1 million dollars, but due to a grant and loan forgiveness from the state, the burden to taxpayers drops to an estimated $678,000. A generous grant came from the Montana Coal Board (a seven member board created by the legislature in 1975 to help with community development and planning) for $200,000, while the State Revolving Fund, or SRF will make $230,500 in loan forgiveness.
This puts the city on the hook for a 20 year loan for $678,000. City Clerk Peggy Fruit expects sewer bills to increase an estimated $13 per month, a significant amount for many folks who may be on a fixed income.
“We’re trying to update and fix the lagoon as economically as possible, and trying not to increase bills anymore more than absolutely necessary,” Fruit said in a Monday interview. “Over the years, we’ve had very few sewer problems, and we’re trying to keep it that way.”
The updates are expected to go out for bids in the coming month, and a public comment period will follow, where locals will be able to discuss the changes and voice their opinions. Work is then expected to begin this fall, or next spring, depending on contractors’ ability to line up their work load.
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