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Council hears lengthy update on sewer capacity, Decatur ties and septic options as developers press projects
Summary
Council members and staff discussed sanitary‑sewer capacity constraints, potential upgrades at the regional plant, and temporary or alternative onsite wastewater systems; staff said a Decatur plant headworks upgrade and future regional options are under discussion.
Centerton councilors and staff used the April 8 meeting to review sanitary sewer capacity issues affecting planned developments, including a large private project discussed informally and options developers have proposed such as large septic or STEP (septic) systems.
Public‑works and utilities staff briefed the council on the city’s existing ties to regional wastewater treatment arrangements and on ongoing coordination with Decatur and other regional operators. Staff reported that the regional plant currently has a permitted flow figure cited in the meeting as 3,800,000 gallons per day and said Decatur is working on headworks construction; staff estimated, during discussion, that a re‑rated capacity of about 5.3 million gallons per day could be possible with upgrades now being engineered.
Councilors and staff also discussed the practical limits and costs of alternative onsite wastewater approaches. Staff cautioned that STEP or large cluster septic systems are effectively large sewage systems that require ongoing maintenance and regulatory oversight and may require lot sizes and other permit adjustments. Staff noted state health rules and long‑term maintenance burdens that can make those options impractical for a growing municipal service area.
The group discussed longer‑term regional options including connecting to a regional plant identified in the meeting as the NAC (regional treatment) system. Staff said connection to larger regional capacity would require substantial infrastructure investment; figures discussed in the meeting ranged from about $9 million to $11 million for major connection work in different scenarios, although staff said some of those amounts would be financed or phased rather than paid entirely up front.
Councilors asked for more frequent updates from staff about regional negotiations and sewer‑capacity modeling. Staff said they are meeting with regional plant officials and that a headworks construction schedule currently visible to staff targets substantial work later this year; staff and council emphasized the need for the city to continue pursuing grants and other funding mechanisms for upgrades.
No formal action was taken on a change in policy at the meeting; councilors directed staff to continue negotiations with Decatur and regional partners and to provide a further briefing when additional engineering information and cost estimates are available.
