Washburn wastewater operator: panel upgrades nearing completion but plant limits new development

During a Washburn work session the sewer operator updated the Board on a multi‑month panel project and the town’s wastewater capacity.

The operator reported that 147 new control panels are part of the upgrade and that about 19 panels remained to be completed — “which puts us at east 87% completion,” he said. He described warranty work and a short‑term uptick in pump calls as the new panels and protections are tuned to avoid damaging pumps. The operator said the panels provide additional operational data (hour meters, cycle counters, amperage) that will help prioritize pump replacements.

On development, the operator recommended caution. He said Washburn’s lagoon system has exceeded its daily maximum flow in inspections and that adding new connections would require either expensive lagoon upsizing (engineering and permit work) or alternative approaches (localized on‑site systems per home or a pump connection to Waterloo). “I can't recommend it from my standpoint,” he said, adding that he is not opposed to economic development but warned of significant engineering and permit costs if the community seeks to add housing served by the collection system.

The operator also gave an emergency contact for nuisance alarms and service calls: (319) 240‑3967, asking residents to leave address details and use the emergency number rather than social posts for response.