LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport appears to be close to receiving about $2 million in federal water and sewer grants to help upgrade the city’s infrastructure.
City Utilities Director Mark Brannigan said the city has grant applications in with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one for the city sewer system and one for the water system.
City staff recently met with USDA representatives, and Brannigan said the USDA told the city that it looked like they were going to receive the grants.
The city can receive up to $1 million for each application, for a total of $2 million, which he said would account for 25 percent of the $8 million it’s estimated that the city’s projects will cost.
Lakeport started the application process a year and a half ago, said Brannigan. Originally, the city had applied three years ago but had issues with the application, and reapplied this last time around with the help of a consultant.
Brannigan said there are nine total projects the city is proposing to complete, from paying for the purchase of the Green Ranch, where two groundwater supply wells are located, to a new water main loop, upsizing sewer lines, and replacing conduit and a lift station.
The city is in the process of modifying its sewer application to include an additional $1 million worth of work and getting final engineering documents to the USDA, Brannigan said.
The changes to the sewer grant application will cover removing sludge from two sewer treatment ponds – previously the city had proposed only to do sludge removal on one – and do slope protection work, he said.
Brannigan said the USDA is considering that Lakeport is a small, disadvantaged community, which is working in the city’s favor as far as getting grant funds.
Early in October, the Lakeport City Council approved a 100-percent rate increase for both sewer and water customers over the coming five years, as Lake County News has reported.
Brannigan and other city staff said the hikes were needed to cover the costs of providing the utilities as well as the projects, which the state is requiring.
Even with the increases, Brannigan maintained that the average water bill for city ratepayers is cheaper than in most other parts of the county, while he acknowledged that city sewer services are comparatively expensive.
Brannigan said the state has not set a deadline for completing the projects the city is proposing in order to meet its permit requirements.
As for the increasing rates, Brannigan said the grants could offer some small savings for ratepayers.
The average residential user could see a monthly savings of $.97 for water and $1.15 a month for sewer. Brannigan said the city must explore those potential savings and have its rate consultant calculate just what the potential savings might ultimately be.
Once the grants are finally approved, Brannigan said the engineering would begin immediately, with bids seeking contractors being sent out about six months afterward.
It will take another two to three months to select the projects’ contractors and the projects themselves would take a few years to complete, he said.
Depending on weather, some of the projects could begin in 2013. One project that could begin right away is one to update computerized water and sewer control systems, Brannigan said.
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