Wymore, Neb., Receives Grant for Wastewater System Repair

The city of Wymore, Neb., is the recipient of $250,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), the Beatrice Daily Sun reported. The funding will help replace lift stations in the collection system, replace the lift station and final circular clarifier mechanism, improve the oxidation ditch and install new piping, valves and electrical at the city’s wastewater treatment facility, Wymore Mayor Dale Crawford said.

CDBG funding comes from federal funds made available to the DED from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist with development of businesses and communities throughout the state. Funding requests are administered by DED and are available to local governments and counties in Nebraska with populations under 50,000.

The city has applied for a $350,600 loan from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund to complete the project, Crawford said. It is hoped the treatment center project will begin this summer.?Crawford said the city is also looking at and trying to remedy infrastructure issues.

Wymore’s water wells have tested positive for surface water, and now the city will either dig new wells or build a water treatment center to correct the problem, Crawford said. Digging new wells will be more likely, Crawford said, as there would be less operational and maintenance costs. The city is looking at grants and other funding sources to pay for this project, the newspaper reported.

The city is also currently undergoing a rate study to find out how much it can raise water rates, Crawford said. The city recently doubled its base sewer rate to about $21 to be eligible for the CDBG funds and the DEQ’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, Crawford said. “We have to raise rates to pay for the project and to be eligible for the funds,” he said.

Source: The Beatrice Daily Sun