Spring City Council approves plan development to repair near-capacity sewer lagoons

Spring City Council on Tuesday authorized Sunrise Engineering to develop a written plan that can be put out to contractors to repair the city's nearly full sewage lagoons, after council members and staff said the second lagoon had risen to within inches of overflowing.

Council members said the city will fund the repairs from existing sewer reserves and move quickly once the Utah Division of Water Quality approves the plan. Councilor Marty McCain introduced the project's recent timeline and said, "we... are now getting ready to do a plan so we can put it out to bid." City staff said the estimated repair cost is roughly $150,000 to $300,000.

The project matters because Spring City operates a series of three interconnected treatment lagoons. As wastewater fills the first lagoon it flows to the second and then the third; council and public works staff said the third lagoon, which had not been used in 20'plus years, needs partial rehabilitation before it can receive inflow. Public works staff described on-site core sampling and early excavation work to move material and clear vegetation in preparation for formal repairs.

Council undertook preliminary field work while the engineer completes design. Public works staff said they've dug test niches to redirect overflow away from sandy patches and were exploring local clay sources to limit hauling. "We might have a local source," a council speaker said of nearby material, adding staff would submit samples to Sunrise for testing.

Councilor Randy Strait moved to allow Sunrise Engineering to prepare a bid-ready repair plan; Courtney Snow seconded. The motion passed on a council roll-call vote.

Next steps listed by staff: Sunrise Engineering will finalize design documents and submit them to the Utah Division of Water Quality for review; once the Division signs off, the city will advertise the work for competitive bids. Staff said the hoped-for schedule would allow construction this summer, subject to permitting and contractor availability.

The council also discussed contingency work that could be done immediately to reduce risk while permitting proceeds, including moving clay from the north end of the third cell to sandier areas and removing surface vegetation. Council members emphasized that the city has funds in its sewer budget to avoid borrowing and pay the project without issuing debt.

If the Division of Water Quality requests different scope or more mitigation, staff said the council would revisit funding and schedule. For now, the council directed staff to proceed with the engineering design and permitting process.

Ending: Council members agreed the goal is to prevent uncontrolled overflow and keep wastewater operations in compliance with state regulators; staff said they will return with the final bid documents and a construction timeline once regulatory review is complete.