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Council passes resolution seeking congressional spending for sewer plant as residents and staff describe multi-year repair needs
Summary
The council unanimously approved a resolution requesting congressionally directed spending for urgent Kenner Sewer Treatment Plant needs; staff and public commenters described decades of deferred repairs, a multi-million dollar priority list and ongoing project planning.
On March 10 the Kenner City Council unanimously approved a resolution (Item 13a) requesting congressionally directed spending to address urgent needs at the Kenner wastewater treatment plant and associated lift stations.
Council members and staff used the discussion period and public comment to underscore long-standing infrastructure problems and the scale of needed repairs. A resident, Greg Taft (Fifth District), urged the council to present a multi-year upgrade plan so residents can see how repair and replacement will proceed and how costs relate to rate increases. City officials responded with a staff presentation listing completed, active and planned wastewater projects and a prioritized list of lift stations and plant upgrades.
Staff said recent completed work included replacement of the 43rd and California lift-station force main. Projects under construction include refurbishment of clarifiers 1–4 (original equipment from the plant's 1986 construction) with completion expected in August; rehabilitation of several lift stations; and design-bid phases for additional lift stations and a 4 MGD (million gallons per day) lift station serving West Esplanade. Staff said there are roughly 26 prioritized lift stations; the city's estimate to bring priority lift stations up to current standards was given in the meeting as $37,600,000 (design, construction, resident inspection and testing). Separately, staff listed seven plant projects — belt press improvements, RAS pump station rehab, aeration, safe-house facilities, sludge digester capacity increases, and clarifier improvements — that together had an estimated cost (based on a 2019/2020 evaluation updated for CPI and construction costs) of $33,239,603.
City staff explained they pursue low-interest loans and grants (for example a $4,000,000 water-sector grant referenced for one project) and that the state's Department of Environmental Quality offers low-interest financing. Officials said the city's available local funds are limited and that piecemeal repairs without a large capital infusion will only "band-aid" the system.
The council passed the resolution supporting congressional funding requests by voice vote; the agenda summary listed the resolution as Item 13a. The council also later introduced and approved multiple procurement and repair items that relate to wastewater operations (detailed in the votes-at-a-glance article).
