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Moose Lake wins $658,000 sewer-lining grant as city weighs $3 million bonding ask and capacity needs
Summary
City engineers told the council Moose Lake has secured a $658,000 state grant for a trunk sewer lining project and continues work to reduce infiltration; the system's hydraulic capacity improved from 95% in 2018 to 82.8% in 2024, leaving an estimated 353 household-equivalent connections available.
Moose Lake city engineers told the council they have been awarded a $658,000 grant to fund a trunk sewer-lining project and are coordinating paperwork and matching funds to get the work underway.
The City Engineer reported that the grant can be combined with the city's match toward a larger, $3 million state bonding request that would fund lining of much of the city's sewer infrastructure. "We are now working in coordination with the city engineers in the background regarding completing the necessary paperwork in order to accept that grant," the City Engineer said during the council meeting.
Consultant Tyler described recent progress on inflow-and-infiltration work that reduces groundwater and runoff entering the collection system. Tyler said the city's hydraulic capacity was about 95% in 2018 and has improved to about 82.8% for calendar year 2024 after multi-year sewer-lining efforts. He told council the remaining hydraulic capacity equates to roughly 353 household equivalents (up from 285 last year), while organic capacity figures have varied. "Those lining projects that you're completing are working," Tyler said.
Tyler and staff also noted that some reported quarterly samples showed high total suspended solids and that those spikes appear to be outliers; the sampling results are the numbers reported to state regulators and will be monitored going forward.
Council and staff discussed budgeting and match requirements: the MPCA grant award includes a $73,000 local match that could replace a comparable lining project in the next several years; the city also has submitted a $3 million project request to the state, which would rely on using the $658,000 grant as part of a larger $1.5 million local match commitment.
Background: Moose Lake treats wastewater in a pond system and has used an annual program of sewer lining to reduce infiltration. Officials said continuing the lining program alongside targeted large-project funding would help maintain capacity and enable planned residential connections.
The council did not take a formal vote on the bonding request at the meeting; the grant acceptance paperwork and next steps for project design and permitting were described as ongoing staff actions.
