The Soda Springs City Council heard a detailed presentation of a wastewater collection facility planning study and voted to authorize staff to submit the document to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for review.

Danny Huber, junior engineer at Forsburn Associates, and project engineer Mary Anne Reiner summarized field inspections, video and sample testing designed to locate inflow and infiltration (I&I). Huber said the study used homeowner surveys, manhole inspections, CCTV pipe video and laboratory biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) testing to identify areas where groundwater and surface water dilute sewer flows. "By implementing these proposed improvements and continuing efforts to identify and eliminate I&I in the collection system, we anticipate that wastewater treatment plant flows could be reduced by up to 50%," Huber said.

The study mapped deficiencies including manholes with leaking joints, service line leaks around pipe penetrations, undersized pipe segments below an 8‑inch standard and missing manholes at some intersections. The consultants presented a prioritized list of repairs and provided engineer cost estimates for two alternatives: rehabilitation (alternative 2) and replacement (alternative 3). Huber said rehabilitation for high‑priority items was estimated at roughly $358,000, while full replacement for those segments was estimated at about $1.8 million; upgrading all sub‑8‑inch pipe segments was a separate larger item (engineer estimate ~ $4.7 million).

Consultants also presented a rate study showing how different funding scenarios would affect customer bills: the study estimated a possible $1 monthly sewer rate increase under the rehabilitation alternative and about $4 under the replacement alternative, exclusive of some larger code‑driven upgrades. Council members asked about specific fixes such as roof‑drain disconnections and subsurface drains; staff noted some roof‑drain changes were relatively low cost and often the first step.

After discussion, council authorized staff to submit the facility planning study to DEQ by the end of June, with the understanding that staff and the consultants would continue to accept and incorporate council feedback prior to the DEQ review period and would return with funding options and a multi‑year implementation schedule.