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Newport administrator to apply for $60,000 package for wastewater plant Phase 1 upgrade
Summary
City Administrator Abby Gribi told the council she will apply for $60,000 (50% grant, 50% loan) to fund Phase 1 of the wastewater treatment plant upgrade; the local share would be roughly $30,000 if awarded. Plant staff also reported problems with BOD testing and recurring sewer callouts on 8th Street.
City Administrator Abby Gribi told the Newport City Council on Feb. 2 that she will apply for $60,000 to complete Phase 1 of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) upgrade, a package the city expects to be structured as a 50/50 grant and loan that would require about $30,000 in local repayment if awarded.
Gribi said the council expressed no objection to her filing the application. The funding request follows continued operational issues at the city’s collection and treatment systems: Plant Superintendent Howard reported recurring plugged sewer calls on 8th Street and said plant staff have discovered the wrong chemical had been used for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) testing. Howard said the correct chemical has been ordered to restore accurate BOD measurement.
Accurate BOD testing is a key compliance and operational metric for wastewater plants because it measures the oxygen required by microorganisms to decompose organic matter and indicates treatment efficiency. Howard described the BOD issue as a testing-chemistry error rather than a treatment-process step; staff are correcting the measurement method and continuing GIS mapping of manholes and system assets.
Gribi also noted the city recently received a separate $187,000 source-water-study grant (an 18–24 month effort) to inform water-source planning, and she briefed the council on other asset-management work. The council did not take a formal vote on the WWTP application at the meeting; Gribi will proceed with the application process.
Next steps: Gribi will file the WWTP Phase 1 application and return to council with application status and any local-match requirements if the award is tentatively offered.
