The city of Bellevue has been awarded a $6 million low-interest loan by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to help fund construction of a new wastewater treatment facility.
The funds will be used to design and build a new treatment plant, upgrade pumps and purchase additional land needed for the facility.
The loan from the DEQ's State Revolving Loan Fund carries a 3.25 percent compound rate and is payable over a period of 20 years.
The DEQ is authorized by state law to make loans to assist in the construction of public wastewater systems.
In November 2005, Bellevue residents voted overwhelmingly to approve a sewer revenue bond to help fund construction of a new wastewater treatment plant to replace the city's aging lagoon-style wastewater plant. The city's current plant has run afoul of environmental discharge standards set by the DEQ.
Before the vote on Oct. 1, 2005, Bellevue raised sewer rates from $18.21 to $35 per residential hookup. The increased sewer rates will be used to repay the DEQ loan over its 20-year lifespan.
Bellevue officials are currently in the midst of selecting a manufacturer to build the membrane component of the city's new "membrane bioreactor" treatment plant.
The DEQ loan has been anticipated and isn't a surprise, Bellevue City Administrator Tom Blanchard said Tuesday.
"We've just been working on the details," he said.
Bellevue city officials hope to begin construction on the new wastewater treatment plant later this summer and hope to complete the facility within a year to 15 months.
Work on the plant could easily be delayed until spring 2008 if any aspect of the design process takes longer than expected, Blanchard said.
City officials are poised to select a membrane manufacturer at the Bellevue City Council's next meeting.
"We're thinking were going to do that this Thursday," Blanchard said.
The City Council's meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, and will be held at the Bellevue Elementary School library.
Blanchard said the city is still anticipating additional appropriations from various grants. Monies from those sources will also help to pay back the $6 million DEQ loan, he said.
