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Belgrade plans lagoon dredge, decommissioning as $2M ARPA-funded lagoon rehab moves to bid
Summary
Public Works presented a lagoon rehabilitation project that will dewater and decommission one lagoon cell, dredge roughly two decades of accumulated solids, inspect liners and perform solids-handling work. Staff warned of temporary odors and said $2,000,000 in ARPA funds require work this year.
Public Works staff presented a planned rehabilitation of the city's wastewater lagoons that would dewater and permanently decommission one pond and dredge another to remove roughly 20 years of accumulated solids.
Camry, a public-works staff member who led the presentation, said the project responds to Montana Department of Environmental Quality concerns about leaking lagoon liners and the plant’s current operations. Staff proposed fully decommissioning Cell 2, dredging the deep solids that have built up there, and inspecting and leak‑testing Cell 3’s liner. Camry said Cell 3 is used as a polishing pond and holds about "80,000,000 gallons" per the presentation materials.
Why it matters: the project aims to reduce recurring maintenance and set the plant up for a later Phase 1.5 expansion that would add solids-handling capability and roughly 2,000,000 gallons-per-day of treatment capacity. Camry said that permanent solids-handling would remove the need to periodically waste sludge into lagoons and reduce future large-scale dredges.
Key details: staff reported the project includes a $2,000,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) contribution and must be expended by Dec. 31 of the year, which is driving an accelerated schedule. Staff estimated 144 contract days, held a pre-bid meeting on June 3 and said bids close June 20. The contractor will use dewatering presses and polymers, and dewatered solids will be paid for on a dry-solids basis; staff also said contractors may add iron-oxide odor neutralizers during dewatering operations.
What councilmembers asked and staff cautioned: staff repeatedly warned that dewatering will create temporary odors near affected neighborhoods and described measures—staged dewatering, additives, and outreach—to mitigate impacts. Staff reviewed alternatives that were rejected as ineffective or cost‑prohibitive, including large containment bubbles and surface odor-spraying measures that treat symptoms rather than cause. Outreach plans include targeted notices to adjacent neighborhoods and broader social-media and news outreach through the project designer’s public‑involvement contract.
Next steps: staff anticipates contract award soon after the June 20 bid close and said work must occur this year to meet the ARPA expenditure deadline. Phase 1.5—adding solids-handling and capacity—remains a separate design and funding step to follow within the coming year(s). The council did not take formal action on the floor during the workshop.
