LaSalle outlines $4.38 million wastewater upgrades; lagoon sludge removal, SCADA and lift-station work planned

LaSalle held a public hearing on planned improvements to its wastewater treatment system that city staff said are intended to restore storage capacity, reduce operational problems caused by accumulated grit and debris, and modernize controls.

The project elements described include removal of roughly 40 years of accumulated sludge from the wastewater treatment plant storage lagoon, construction of a small building and process equipment for excess-flow disinfection, installation of a new collection box ahead of the headworks to capture grit and large debris, replacement of primary sludge pumps, and an upgrade to the wastewater SCADA system to improve monitoring and remote lift-station control. The presentation said much of the work will occur at the treatment plant and adjacent sludge lagoon, with upgrades at multiple remote lift stations.

Terry, a City of LaSalle staff member presenting the plan, said accumulated sediments and large debris (rocks, bricks and similar material) are entering the plant and “fill the grit tank,” reducing efficiency and increasing maintenance. He said the collection box will “gather not only the grit, but mainly the big rocks before it enters the system and can be easily cleaned.”

The presentation listed an estimated project cost of $4,377,000 with construction timing shown as December 2025 to January 2027. Under the loan assumptions cited, a 20-year loan at approximately 1.87% would yield an annual payment estimate of $262,489; the presenter said wastewater projects in the IEPA program can qualify for reduced interest and up to 30% principal forgiveness. City staff said the proposed repayment source is the city’s water and sewer fund and that the city expects the average monthly residential sewer charge (shown as $54.03 in the IEPA document) to remain unchanged as a result of the project.

Public commenters asked whether lagoon sludge removal had been discussed previously; Dana Hicks (identified in the hearing) and staff recapped prior inspections, sounding work and earlier efforts at the first-flush lagoon. Terry said the city has pursued earlier grit-chamber cleaning and sewer-line investigation and that the current project includes techniques to pump material to trucks via an existing force main for off-site removal so material is not released to local waterways.

On regulatory review, the presentation said the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources is evaluating potential mitigative measures and that final mitigation requirements will be set after complete design drawings are submitted. The IEPA project manager listed in the project notice is Fred Blandford, Bureau of Water, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, at the Springfield office.

A city staff member said the wastewater system is meeting discharge standards and that overflow and compliance issues the community faced in earlier decades have been substantially reduced following previous long-term-control work. Staff said the proposed improvements are proactive rather than emergency responses; if the city does not secure funding in the current cycle it would be able to resubmit in a subsequent round.

The presenter invited written comments to the city or to IEPA during the 10-day comment period following the hearing. The IEPA contact given in the presentation is Fred Blandford, Bureau of Water, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1021 North Grand Avenue East, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, IL 62794; phone (217) 782-2027.