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Alpena to phase out outside septage receiving, raise fee and cap volumes
Summary
City staff recommended, and council approved, a plan to limit outside septage receiving at the water-recycling plant: raise the fee to 15¢/gallon, stop issuing new permits, cap monthly acceptage at 100,000 gallons starting Jan. 1, 2025, and cease outside septage receipt by July 1, 2025.
City staff told the Alpena City Council that receiving septage from outside contractors now imposes operational disruption, odor complaints and capital needs at the water-recycling plant. Staff recommended a four-step approach: increase the charge from 9¢/gallon to 15¢/gallon, stop issuing new permits to outside contractors, limit accepted septage to 100,000 gallons per month starting Jan. 1, 2025, and phase out outside septage receipt entirely beginning Feb. 1, 2025. Council voted to accept a motion to cease receiving outside septage effective July 1, 2025, giving contractors time to match or alter business practices.
Staff said the facility currently receives roughly 200,000 gallons per month from approved contractors, exceeding the level Veolia (the city’s operations partner) recommends. Staff estimated about $150,000 in capital investment would be required to modernize antiquated controls and monitoring if the city continued to accept septage. Additional expected state regulation and increased testing of loads were cited as further rationale for the policy shift.
Council discussed contractor alternatives; staff said some contractors can treat or hold septage on-site, apply for land-application permits, or use other local processors. The plan includes a staged permit reissuance for existing contractors and an immediate halt to new permits. The motion to phase out outside septage received a unanimous roll call approval.
