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Ellsworth council approves engineering agreement, moves ahead with $10.2M KDHE SRF loan application for wastewater upgrade
Summary
The council authorized BG Consultants to design a conversion of the city’s lagoons to a non‑discharging irrigation system and adopted a resolution to apply for a KDHE SRF loan (about $10.2 million) that includes roughly $2.6 million in principal forgiveness; environmental review and cultural surveys remain next steps.
Ellsworth City Council voted to hire BG Consultants for design and construction observation of a planned wastewater treatment facility upgrade and to authorize the city to apply for a KDHE State Revolving Fund loan to finance the work.
Brian Foster of BG Consultants described the project as a conversion of the city’s existing lagoons into a nondischarging facility that will use irrigation to dispose of treated effluent to cropland and the municipal golf course. Foster said the SRF application is for roughly $10,200,000 and that the design includes adding lagoon cells for storage, replumbing, a lift station and irrigation equipment. He told council the system would be sized for a population equivalent of about 5,000, the capacity reflected in the city’s current permit.
A regional planning representative told the council the city appears above KDHE’s funding line and is eligible for principal forgiveness, which staff and consultants estimated at about $2.6 million. She warned council the environmental review — including a cultural resource survey and farmland evaluation — is likely to be on the critical path and could extend the loan schedule. Foster said the city will also need soil testing to ensure irrigation areas are not overloaded with nutrients.
Council President Coates moved to approve an engineering agreement with BG Consultants; the motion passed by voice vote. Council later approved Resolution 2024‑22, authorizing the mayor to sign the loan application and related documents so staff can pursue KDHE funding alongside required environmental reviews.
The contract approval included a procedural note: Foster recommended the council consider deferring billable work until after the loan agreement is finalized, though staff said some preliminary tasks, such as environmental procurement, may proceed and can be reimbursed through the loan if approved.
The next steps outlined by staff and consultants are to finalize the loan application by the preferred KDHE submission date, begin the environmental and cultural reviews, identify irrigation acreage (consultants currently estimate roughly 230 acres depending on crop rotation and soils) and proceed with rate modeling to understand user‑rate impacts if and when the loan is executed.
