Moline officials hear $100M+ estimate for South Slope wastewater upgrade, move to secure IEPA loan application

Moline officials heard Tuesday that design changes and new federal requirements have pushed the estimated cost to rebuild and upgrade the South Slope Wastewater Treatment Plant to roughly $100 million to $110 million, and the council approved staff to proceed with an application for low-interest financing from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).

The presentation by Strand Associates emphasized three drivers of the cost increase: mandatory flood-elevation work to meet FEMA and city ordinance requirements, compliance with Build America, Buy America (BABA) provisions that raised equipment prices, and unexpectedly large underground piping and electrical work. Troy Stinson of Strand Associates told the council that the plant’s useful equipment life and changed regulatory requirements left few options short of substantial reconstruction.

The IEPA loan application resolution the council approved authorizes the mayor and city clerk to execute loan paperwork and lets finance and utility staff submit payment requests and reimbursements if the city decides to borrow. Council later advanced (to second reading) a separate ordinance authorizing borrowing under the IEPA Water Pollution Control Loan Program; advancing the ordinance does not by itself obligate the city to borrow.

Why it matters: South Slope handles wastewater for Moline and some neighboring jurisdictions. The project must meet a new phosphorus limit in the plant’s MPDS permit and be resilient to flood conditions; both regulatory drivers increase capital cost. If the city pursues the IEPA loan and bids the project on the schedule staff outlined, the work will affect rate forecasting and capital planning for the next decades.