Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Water Utility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Duluth seeks $21.2 million state share for Lakewood water treatment upgrades after 2023 EPA findings
Summary
Sponsor Representative Kozolski and lobbyist Eric Simonson said the Lakewood Water Treatment Facility serves Duluth and nearby cities; Duluth requests $21.2 million (50% of $42.4M) to rehabilitate filters, add a new filter and repair reservoirs after an EPA inspection and administrative order.
Representative Kozolski and city lobbyist Eric Simonson told the Capital Investment Committee on March 6 that the Lakewood Water Treatment Facility in Duluth serves Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor and Rice Lake and that much of the system dates back more than 50 years. The city requested $21,208,000 in state bonding (about half of a $42,400,000 project) to fund filter rehabilitation and a new filter, improvements to treatment processes, and repairs or replacements to tanks and reservoirs.
Simonson said the EPA inspected the plant in 2023 and issued an administrative order on consent requiring corrective action; Duluth recently approved multi‑year rate increases but still faces a revenue shortfall to complete needed improvements. He said more than half of Duluth’s water mains are over 90 years old, the historic pump house dates to 1898, and the current treatment building is from 1977. The city requested the state share as a PFA bond/grant match to accelerate compliance work required by the EPA order.
Committee members had no questions at the hearing; presenters stressed the regional role of the facility and the regulatory deadline pressure created by the EPA findings.
