Council authorizes SRF applications for $18M wastewater upgrades and $2M sewer rehabilitation

The Hutchinson City Council on Oct. 7 authorized staff to submit applications to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans to finance two major water‑infrastructure efforts: comprehensive wastewater treatment plant improvements and a sanitary sewer collection system lining program.

City engineer Evan Patterson said a firmwide facility study by HDR identified a set of seven high‑priority projects at the wastewater treatment plant totaling about $18 million. He listed the largest elements as replacement of aging influent pumps (nearly half the total estimate), replacement of a failing centrifuge, headworks upgrades (rag screen and compactor), primary clarifier repairs and electrical and life‑safety upgrades. Patterson said these are capital‑intensive, multi‑year projects; he described three options considered—targeted improvements, building a new plant, or doing nothing—and said doing nothing was not recommended for operational and safety reasons.

Patterson told council the SRF application process had been preapproved and required a council resolution to apply. He said the SRF program charges roughly 60% of market interest rates in the state’s current offering and that staff projected an average user impact of between $3.40 and $6.80 per month (5 HCF monthly usage) if the city finances the work without any loan forgiveness.

On the sanitary sewer side, Patterson proposed lining existing pipes and rehabilitating manholes in two half‑mile segments—one along F Street/Main to Plum and another on Van Buren—at a planning estimate of about $2 million versus roughly $5.5 million to replace the pipes. He said lining typically extends service life by another 30 years and can be done faster because the engineering is complete; it requires specialized contractors to install cured‑in‑place liners and rehabilitate manholes.

Council approved separate resolutions authorizing both SRF loan applications. Patterson emphasized the resolution authorizes applications only; council must still review and accept any final loan terms before the city obligates itself to debt. If the city obtains favorable loan rates, staff said it will return with contract documents and recommended borrowing terms for council approval.