Adams County Regional Sewer District seeks SRF funding to upsize Monmouth line; board reviews rate study

Representatives of the Adams County Regional Sewer District told county commissioners they submitted Project 6 to the State Revolving Fund (SRF) on April 1 and proposed upsizing a bottlenecked 4-inch main from Monmouth back to the treatment plant to 6 inches to increase capacity.

Nathan, a representative of the Adams County Regional Sewer District, told the board the Monmouth line was originally 4 inches and now restricts flows because of growth on the system’s north side. "We are looking at going out to Winneken and adding more to the Monmouth line," Nathan said. "We're going to go from the 4 to 6; that'll give us plenty of capacity."

Why it matters: officials said upsizing the line is necessary to relieve restrictions, avoid frequent pump overloads and accommodate development along the system. Nathan described field issues such as air pockets that reduce flow and noted some repairs required emergency attention when earlier plastic mains were damaged during later work.

The district also updated commissioners on finances and required next steps. Nathan said the sewer district recently completed a rate study with consultant Baker Tilly and will meet with its finance committee before publicly presenting rate recommendations. He said the district expects a rate increase will be needed to cover higher treatment charges from the City of Decatur and ongoing operations; the district expects to present the study and answers to public questions in a forthcoming public meeting. Nathan said the district projects about 1,090 customers today and anticipates about 105 additional customers from the current project pipeline.

Funding and mandates: Nathan said Project 6 financing is being pursued through SRF, and that some funding decisions hinge on the district’s scoring in the SRF ranking process. He also reminded the board that state statute can require property owners within 300 feet of a public sewer to connect if the line is available; he said the district’s regulations require hookups within 300 feet from the structure but that health‑department rules may use property-line distances and separate authorities.

County support: Nathan asked the commissioners whether the county contribution to the sewer district should remain at $60,000; commissioners indicated continued support. Nathan said the district is monitoring equipment and replacement costs (pumps, control panels and telemetry) and emphasized that increasing capital and maintenance costs are driving the need to consider rate changes.

Ending: The sewer board will meet with the district’s finance committee and expects to make the rate‑study results available to the public at a subsequent meeting; district and county staff will continue to pursue SRF funding for Project 6.