Burley council, local producers press for early coordination on planned industrial wastewater plant

Burley Mayor Steve Ormond and city staff hosted a special workshop Jan. 20 with local food processors and wastewater officials to discuss methods and plans for a proposed Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant intended to serve existing and potential industrial users.

City Administrator Brett Boyer said the project is the city’s top priority and that staff intends to involve producers in planning and implementation. Wastewater Superintendent Dustin Raney participated in the presentation and planning discussion.

Brandon Mauseth of Oregon Potato Company, which operates a comparable facility in Pasco, Washington, described lessons learned from that project and warned of “breakdowns of conversation and inclusion during implementation,” citing concerns about long-term contract terms and underperformance of the digester that produced less biogas than expected. Mauseth urged earlier, clearer coordination among the city, contractor (named in the workshop discussion as Burnham) and local producers to align expectations and outputs.

Local processors told councilmembers they are worried about how the city’s proposed user-rate schedules would affect operations. Brian Wilson of Gossner Foods said the proposed fee schedule would lead to substantial increases and that higher rate tiers (identified in the presentation as Schedules B and C) would be unsustainable. Shawn Burton of High Desert Milk said the dairy contributes economic activity to Mini-Cassia but warned that higher fees would force dairies to front costs or look for alternate wastewater disposal sites. Miguel Rementeria of Gem State Processing urged cooperation among the city and producers, stressing local supply-chain benefits.

Councilmembers and staff discussed potential funding sources, including tax credits, revenue from gas sales and a potential $20 million government contribution mentioned during the meeting. City staff also said the city will consider protections for the facility if it is later leased to a private operator.

The regular meeting later approved the dedication of 13th Street, a final right-of-way needed to construct an industrial wastewater line to the Suntado site and other potential producers. City Engineer Bryan Reiter told the council that the dedication completes the remaining parcel required for the sewer main alignment.

The workshop produced no formal votes on plant design, rates or contracts; councilmembers sought to gather producer feedback and emphasized early coordination to reduce implementation risks. The city will continue planning and return with formal proposals and rate studies for later council consideration.