Clinton City Council authorizes SRF planning and HDR design work for RWRF biogas project

At its Feb. 25, 2025 meeting the Clinton City Council rescinded a prior authorization and approved a resolution to submit a State Revolving Fund (SRF) planning and design loan application and to authorize HDR Engineering Inc. to begin planning and design work for a proposed biogas (renewable natural gas) facility at the city’s Regional Water Reclamation Facility (RWRF).

Council members also directed staff to bring detailed cost estimates and rate scenarios to the finance committee before the council moves forward with construction financing decisions.

The action rescinded Resolution No. 2025-086, then adopted a new resolution authorizing commencement of planning and design work by HDR and authorizing submission of an SRF planning and design loan application. The council approved a planning-design budget of $1,884,000 for HDR’s work; council members discussed that planning work would feed into a later SRF construction loan the city anticipates could be up to $25,000,000, depending on the final design and grant/tax-credit availability.

City staff described the project as a step to capture methane now being flared at the RWRF and to produce renewable natural gas that could be injected…