Sandpoint advances wastewater plant rebuild plan with phased funding and a wet‑weather treatment option

Consultants and city staff told the Sandpoint City Council on April 15 that the long‑planned reconstruction of the municipal wastewater treatment plant will move forward as a multi‑phase project with targeted state funding and a new permit‑driven design approach intended to reduce overall cost.

Kyle Meshko, an engineer working on the project, said the city is working with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to secure permitting flexibility that would allow a smaller core facility complemented by a parallel ‘‘wet‑weather’’ treatment train for diluted peak flows. "We're hopeful to get some final direction from them on how they would like us to proceed," Meshko said, adding that preliminary work suggests "around $10 million in savings" is possible if the wet‑weather approach is accepted.

Holly Ellis, Sandpoint's public works director, told the council the revenue bond passed in November provides authority to move ahead; staff are now assembling a funding package and design sequence. "We're looking at up to $130 million of improvements and focusing now on funding and value engineering to reduce that cost," Ellis said, explaining that the city will bring State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan and grant agreements to the council in early May.

City staff said the near‑term plan is to fund a first construction sequence — a phase one that focuses on treatment improvements, influent pumping, control systems (SCADA) and backup power — with a combination of the revenue bond and SRF resources. At the May 6 meeting they expect to present an SRF loan of roughly $38 million, a $2.5 million grant and the prospect of additional SRF support that together could total about $60 million for phase one.

Engineers described the wet‑weather treatment train as a way to avoid designing the full plant to handle the occasional high flows driven by heavy rain on snow events, when inflow and infiltration dilute and spike volumes. Meshko said the approach would route a portion of peak flow through a simplified, parallel treatment process that can meet permit limits without oversizing the entire facility. "That enables greater flexibility so Devon and crew can operate a plant that's really designed for the 5 MGD year‑round flow," the consultant said.

Council discussion focused on funding sequencing, operations and whether phased construction and alternative delivery (construction manager‑general contractor, CMGC) can accelerate work while managing cost risk. Staff said they plan to issue an environmental information document, coordinate a public hearing, finalize SRF agreements, and begin CMGC procurement next. Designers emphasized that further permitting discussions with DEQ in May will shape final phasing and cost estimates.

Next steps: City staff will return to council with SRF loan and grant acceptance documents on May 6 and bring design procurement materials for CMGC selection after permitting milestones are clarified.