The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has given the city of Bellevue, Idaho, a $6 million low-interest loan to help fund a new wastewater treatment facility.
The Idaho Mountain Express reports that the funds will be used to design and build a new treatment plant, purchase additional land and upgrade pumps. The loan from the DEQ’s State Revolving Loan Fund has a 3.25 percent compound rate and is payable over a period of 20 years.
State law authorizes the DEQ to make loans to help in the construction of public wastewater systems.
In November 2005, Bellevue residents voted to approve a sewer revenue bond to aid in funding construction of a new wastewater treatment plant to replace the city's aging wastewater plant.
Prior to the vote on Oct. 1, 2005, Bellevue raised sewer rates from $18.21 to $35 per residential hookup. The rates were increased with the intent of using the money to repay the DEQ loan over 20 years.
According to the Idaho Mountain Express, Bellevue officials are currently in the middle of selecting a manufacturer to build the membrane component of the city's new "membrane bioreactor" treatment plant.
Construction is scheduled to begin late in the summer and should be completed within a year to 15 months.
Tom Blanchard, Bellevue City Administrator, warned that if any part of the design process takes longer than expected, the facility might not open until Spring 2008.
Source: The Idaho Mountain Express
