Paradise council backs locally scaled sewer project, asks staff to pursue $36.7M reallocation

The Paradise Town Council on Monday voted unanimously to adopt Resolution No. 202567, approving staff’s recommendation to advance a locally scaled Paradise Sewer Project and to pursue amendments to the town’s CDBG‑DR infrastructure allocation to cover a remaining funding gap.

Mark Maddox, the town’s public works director and engineer, told the council the ad hoc committee recommended a hybrid collection system — shallower gravity mains on main corridors with septic tank effluent pump (STEP) connections for low-elevation properties — paired with aerated lagoon treatment and land-discharge evaporation/percolation ponds. “We have never been closer to a constructible project,” Maddox said, urging the council to move quickly because temporary federal and state recovery funds have limited windows.

The council’s decision follows months of alternatives analysis and stakeholder outreach. Maddox said secured funding for the project totals roughly $84 million and that conservative, high-end construction estimates project the total capital need at about $114 million, leaving an approximate $30 million shortfall. Staff proposed three options to cover that gap and…