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La Cygne faces repair bill after flood damage to sewer lagoons; council backs engineering and a rate increase
Summary
Floodwaters damaged La Cygne’s wastewater lagoons in 2007. Council authorized engineering to reconstruct berms and add a second force main; FEMA, state SRF and local payments were discussed and a sewer-rate increase was proposed to cover the city share of repairs.
La Cygne’s wastewater lagoons suffered flood damage in 2007, and council members moved in the fall to authorize engineering and planning to repair the berms and to add a parallel force main to protect the system against future high flows. The city combined the lagoon reconstruction work with an additional 12-inch parallel force main to improve capacity.
Deputy City Clerk Gary Mahon told the council FEMA would cover a significant share of the immediate emergency work but the detailed FEMA determination reduced the initially requested compensation; the city appealed FEMA’s estimate and continued to pursue the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan amendment to finance the local portion of reconstruction. Estimated costs discussed in the minutes included a reconstruction estimate (engineer’s figure) that, with all costs and fees, aligned around $184,000 and a separate estimate of approximately $56,500 to add a parallel (12-inch) force main. With FEMA and potential state participation, the council discussed likely city responsibility on the order of approximately $100,000 and how that would affect annual SRF amortization and sewer rates.
At a meeting in October, council members approved moving forward with Ponzer-Youngquist for the engineering proposal so the city could submit required documentation to FEMA and the SRF program and set a path toward construction. To cover debt service on a larger loan, the council authorized an increase in sewer rates — a proposed $0.37 per 1,000 gallon increase was discussed as a near-term step to generate revenue for required loan payments. Mayor and councilors emphasized the need for engineering documentation and transparent reporting before final contracts would be executed.
The lagoon work will require coordination with state and federal programs, and the city is preparing grant/loan paperwork and cost appeals to maximize outside funding.
