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Council approves $30,000 preliminary engineering to meet new phosphorus limit at wastewater plant
Summary
Council approved a $30,000 agreement with Horner Shiffrin to begin preliminary engineering for a phosphorus‑removal upgrade after staff said an Illinois EPA permit requires lowering discharge to 0.5 ppm and full upgrades could cost about $5 million.
The Marion City Council voted to hire Horner Shiffrin for $30,000 to carry out preliminary engineering work on upgrades to the city wastewater treatment plant after staff said the Illinois EPA has imposed a new phosphorus limit the plant will not meet without work.
Brent, a wastewater department staffer who presented the proposal, said the new permit sets a concentration limit of 0.5 parts per million for phosphorus. "We have to meet a 0.5 parts per million phosphorus discharge on a concentration," he said, adding the full construction and equipment package to comply could be about $5,000,000 based on comparable projects.
The preliminary engineering contract will produce project scoping, required IEPA paperwork and an application to the IEPA revolving loan fund, the staff‑recommended financing source that can carry low interest rates and sometimes include grant or debt forgiveness. Brent told the council the IEPA process can take time and getting on the funding list now is important for meeting the permit timeline.
Commissioner Stecklin moved to approve the agreement and council approved the motion by roll call. The vote authorizes the city to proceed with design and funding‑list work; staff said the permit timeline aims for compliance by Jan. 1, 2030.
The council did not finalize a construction plan or a funding package for the full upgrade tonight; those steps will come after preliminary design and IEPA review. The action obligates $30,000 for engineering work to develop scope, cost estimates and funding applications that will be presented for future council approval.
