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Preston prepares for $69 million wastewater plant, warns of higher sewer bills
Summary
Mayor Dan Keller told the Preston City Council the federally mandated wastewater treatment project should be complete by year-end 2025, with full operation in 2026, and that users of the new plant will likely see monthly sewer charges rise by about $45–$50 when debt service begins.
Mayor Dan Keller told the Preston City Council on Jan. 9 that the city’s long-running project to replace its wastewater treatment plant is approaching completion and will carry a substantial price tag.
“Preston City wastewater treatment plant…this project will be completed by year end 2025 with the new facility in full operation by 2026,” Mayor Dan Keller said. He told the council the project is “federally mandated” and is expected to cost approximately $69,000,000.
Keller said low-interest financing has been secured for about 49% of the project cost. When the new facility is certified by regulators, the city will begin debt-service payments six months after certification; at that time, Keller said household sewer bills for residents using the new Westwater plant are likely to increase by about $45 to $50 per month.
The mayor said the council has so far chosen not to raise monthly sewer fees before project completion to lessen the immediate burden on residents.
Why it matters: The plant replaces an aging facility and aims to meet regulatory requirements; the financing and operations plan will directly affect household budgets and city revenues.
Supporting details and related projects: Keller outlined other water and sewer developments in 2024 and planned for 2025. He said the city received notice of a $3,750,000 grant to build a 2,000,000‑gallon water tank that would increase culinary water storage by about 45 percent, and council members separately sought a $500,000 downtown revitalization grant through CCOG. He also noted Preston completed a state‑mandated adjudication of culinary water in 2024 and that the city maintains over 50 miles of culinary water lines and roughly 4.5 million gallons of storage tank capacity.
Council and staff comment: Public Works Director John Walls and council members discussed the plant at multiple points in the meeting; staff and Keller Engineering have been involved in construction oversight and in forecasting equipment purchases estimated at $7–8 million for the new plant.
What didn’t change at the meeting: The council did not adopt a formal ordinance or new fee schedule at this meeting. Keller emphasized the timing for rate changes will follow project certification and the start of debt service.
