The Idaho Falls City Council on Tuesday approved a $243,750 change order to the wastewater treatment plant hauling contract with Iron Horse Trucking.

Public works staff said the city's dewatering project at the wastewater plant is now operational after a seven-day acceptance test, but staff wants to take advantage of available farm fields this fall to remove sludge ponds that generate odors at the plant. The change order increases the amount of material hauled while fields are available.

Why it matters: Officials said removing accumulated sludge reduces odor generation at the plant and helps optimize operations once the dewatering system is fully online.

Council discussion: Council members asked for clarification on whether dewatering had reduced the hauling need and staff explained the timing is seasonal: hauling occurs in spring and fall to clear ponds before winter. "The dewatering project is operational," staff said during the meeting, noting the recent seven-day operational test.

The vote: A motion to approve the net increase passed by council vote.

Implementation: Public works will finalize documents authorizing the change order and proceed with additional hauling to area farm fields under Department of Environmental Quality monitoring and farming agreements. Staff said the city coordinates with farmers and DEQ on field use and crop restrictions (for example, not applying biosolids to fields used for food crops), and that much of the land used for application is in alfalfa or non-food crops.